How AI is Creating New Risks for Kids by Making Cybercriminals Smarter, Faster, More Effective, and Harder to Detect

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Featuring cybersecurity expert, digital forensics investigator, and author Tom Arnold. Here is a recent clip of him on WFSU Public Media. He has also been featured across The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CBC, SmarterMSP, Security Weekly, and more. 

According to Tom, AI is enabling criminals to create convincing phishing emails, clone voices, build fake online identities, and launch highly personalized scams at a scale never before possible. The result is a new generation of cyber threats that are more sophisticated, more difficult to recognize, and increasingly capable of targeting anyone—including children and teens.

These growing risks inspired the second book in Arnold’s thriller series for readers of all ages, The Digital Detective: Dark Web Descent. Tom launched the series after his own grandson was approached online by a stranger through Roblox despite parental controls.

Tom’s goal is simple:

Help kids, teens, and adults become more cyber savvy—and safer. In an interview or guest article, he can explain how AI is making cybercriminals smarter, faster, and harder to detect by:

• Putting sophisticated cybercrime tools into the hands of people who previously lacked the technical skills to use them
• Helping cybercriminals launch scams faster and at a scale that was previously impossible
• Making phishing emails, fake identities, and online impersonation more convincing than ever
• Making AI-powered scams increasingly difficult for victims to recognize and avoid

Tom can also address why these developments create unique risks for children and teens—and what parents can do about it.

Tom Arnold (CISSP, ISSMP, CISA, CFS, GCFE-Gold, GNFA, GWEB, GBFA) is a cybersecurity expert, digital forensics investigator, and educator. He lectures on digital forensics and incident response at San Jose State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he is also helping to develop a new digital evidence and forensics degree program. A co-founder of Payment Software Company (PSC), now part of NCC Group, Arnold has led large-scale breach investigations—some involving more than 7,000 servers—and served as lead investigator in complex threat-hunting operations. He has testified before the U.S. Senate and House on cybersecurity legislation and sits on the steering committee for the Las Vegas branch of the USSS/Cyber Fraud Task Force. He also serves as Operations Manager at Cloud 10 Studios, a full-service animation studio that creates original series, long-form content, and commercial projects.

His Digital Detective series was inspired by a real-life cybersecurity scare when Arnold’s grandson was approached by a stranger on Roblox despite parental controls. That moment launched Arnold’s mission to help families and schools recognize hidden online dangers—and to give kids the tools they need to stay safe in the digital world.

Tom’s cybersecurity expertise has been featured by outlets including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, TechTalk Radio, and CBC.