How AI, Cyberstalking and Online Impersonation Are Outpacing Our Ability to Respond Globally
Written by Fizza Khan, Founder & CEO of Imentor360
Fizza Khan, IT Consultant and Founder & CEO of Imentor360, is empowering Elite IT Consultants to be seen, valued, and hired directly.
By every measure, cyber-enabled abuse is evolving faster than many organisations can respond. Artificial intelligence has lowered the barriers to creating convincing fake identities, deepfake images and videos, and large-scale impersonation campaigns. What once required technical expertise can now be generated in minutes. Digital crime is not one type of offence. It is a chain of connected harms.
The rise of catfishing
Identity misuse can lead to deception, potential fraud, harassment, cyberstalking, psychological harm, and reputational damage.
Digital deception has evolved beyond simple online scams. The misuse of identity, the creation of false personas, and the manipulation of trust can escalate into fraud, harassment, cyberstalking, and lasting psychological harm. This is especially true on social platforms.
The challenge is that these incidents rarely sit neatly within one category. A victim may experience elements of fraud, identity abuse, harassment, and online harm simultaneously, while the response remains divided among platforms, law enforcement agencies, and regulatory bodies.
In England and Wales, an estimated 1.4 million adults experience stalking each year, while police recorded stalking offences have continued to rise. These figures illustrate a broader shift. Online abuse is no longer confined to isolated incidents but often spans multiple platforms, multiple identities, and prolonged campaigns that can have profound personal and professional consequences.
The emergence of generative AI has amplified these risks. Fraudsters and abusers can automate phishing, create synthetic identities, clone voices, and produce realistic fabricated media. Victims may face harassment, reputational damage, financial loss, and emotional distress simultaneously.
The challenge is not technology alone. Reporting pathways remain fragmented. Victims frequently find themselves navigating social media platforms, internet service providers, law enforcement, regulators, and support organisations, each with different evidential requirements and processes. The result is delay, duplication, and frustration.
Technology companies have invested heavily in moderation and detection, but the scale of AI-generated content means prevention cannot rely on platforms alone. Governments, regulators, organisations, and investigators need stronger collaboration, clearer governance, and faster information sharing.
Organisations should also recognise that cyber resilience extends beyond technical controls. Staff awareness, incident response, digital evidence preservation, and executive governance are now essential business capabilities. The same applies to individuals, who should understand privacy settings, account security, multifactor authentication, and the importance of documenting online abuse.
AI and misuse
Artificial intelligence is not inherently harmful. It offers enormous opportunities for productivity, healthcare, education, and innovation. However, every technological advance creates opportunities for misuse. History shows that governance often lags behind innovation, and AI is no exception.
Looking ahead, cyber intelligence, OSINT, digital investigations, and multidisciplinary collaboration will become increasingly important. Analysts who can transform complex digital information into structured, evidence-based reporting will play a vital role in supporting organisations and, where appropriate, law enforcement.
This is why I describe the current landscape as the next digital pandemic. The threat is not a single virus or a single platform. It is an ecosystem of AI-enabled deception, cyberstalking, impersonation, and coordinated online abuse that crosses borders, jurisdictions, and technologies.
Our response must therefore be equally connected. Stronger legislation, better platform accountability, investment in investigative capability, and greater public awareness are all part of the solution. Above all, we must ensure that innovation is matched by responsibility.
The future of digital trust depends not only on creating more powerful AI but also on building the governance, ethics, and investigative capability required to use it safely. The organisations and nations that succeed will be those that treat cyber-enabled harms not as isolated incidents but as a strategic societal challenge requiring coordinated action.
Read more from Fizza Khan
Fizza Khan, Founder & CEO of Imentor360
Fizza Khan has over 15 years of expertise as an IT consultant, Lead Business Analyst, and Project Manager with many specialisms, hired to deliver many complex, critical projects globally across industries. Leading professionals have developed many innovative solutions. Now with her own brand, Imentor360, providing a platform for Elite IT contractors to showcase their skills and gain visibility, and to get booked directly.
References:
Office for National Statistics, Crime Survey for England and Wales and stalking statistics.
UK government and policing publications on cyber-enabled crime.
Research literature on AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media.
