Back-to-school scams on the rise in San Diego as AI makes fraud harder to detect

Experts warn scammers are impersonating schools, teachers and PTAs to steal money and personal information as back-to-school scams become more sophisticated.

SAN DIEGO — As families prepare for the new school year, experts are warning parents to be on the lookout for increasingly sophisticated back-to-school scams.

According to Transaction Network Services (TNS), scams involving tuition payments or class registration have doubled in San Diego over the past month.

John Haraburda, director of product management at TNS, said one trend the company is seeing locally involves fake fundraising messages that appear to come from teachers or parent organizations.

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“As an example, a teacher saying, ‘I need to get some funding for supplies for my class, or your kids signed up for this program. You need to pay this fee, or we’re looking for fundraising for the PTA. So click on this link and do these works,'” Haraburda said.

Other common scams include text messages or emails asking parents to pay tuition, register for classes, or phone calls that use artificial intelligence to clone the voice of a teacher or principal.

“Sophisticated schemes like cloning the voice of a specific teacher who your kid may have this year, and targeting you as a parent,” Haraburda said.

Haraburda said AI is making these scams more convincing by creating messages that feel personal and legitimate.

“They will send you a text saying, ‘Alex, I’m going to be calling you from this number to ask you about this.’ Then they’ll call you. You’ll see action. You’ll give information, thinking you’ve already vetted,” Haraburda said.

Despite the evolving tactics, Haraburda said many scams share one common warning sign: urgency.

“‘The act now, this is a limited time offer, right? You know, do you want your kid in this class? You’ve got to click this link,'” Haraburda said.

Experts warn that clicking a malicious link or scanning a fraudulent QR code could give scammers access to personal or account information.

Haraburda advises parents to be skeptical of unsolicited messages and avoid clicking links. Instead, he recommends verifying requests by contacting the school directly using its official website or phone number.

“When you get that inkling in the back of your head, be aware and say, okay, hang up the phone and then call them back directly if you need to,” Haraburda said.

News 8 also reached out to San Diego Unified School District. The district said it has not received any reports of these types of scams but plans to share News 8’s story with parents to help raise awareness before the school year begins.

Haraburda noted that scam tactics continue to evolve as technology advances. The Federal Communications Commission also warns consumers about other common back-to-school scams, including fake online shopping deals, fraudulent scholarship offers and college housing rental scams. Parents are encouraged to stay vigilant throughout the back-to-school season.