Is it safe to use AI for my business? What never to paste, and how to spot a scam

Do it with AI: scrub before you paste

Before a note goes into AI, swap out the private parts. Practise on a made-up note first.

Below is a note I want to use with AI later. Help me scrub it first.
1. Replace every person's name with [NAME 1], [NAME 2] and so on.
2. Replace phone numbers, email addresses and street addresses with [PHONE], [EMAIL] and [ADDRESS].
3. Replace any account, card or invoice numbers with [NUMBER].
4. Keep everything else the same.
5. Under the clean note, list what you replaced.

The note:
[A MADE-UP PRACTICE NOTE, OR A NOTE YOU HAVE ALREADY CLEANED UP BY HAND]

Sample (made up): a practice note from Hillside Auto Repair. It has a customer's full name, cell number, street address and car. It also says the brakes get done Thursday.

What a good answer looks like: the name, number and street become [NAME 1], [PHONE] and [ADDRESS]. The car and brake job stay. A list at the bottom shows the three swaps.

Scrub real notes by hand before you paste. AI can double-check one you've already cleaned. Never paste card numbers or logins, not even to have them removed.

Tools checked 2026-09-26: you can use ChatGPT's free plan for this. Claude or Gemini work too.

What to watch for

Keep private things private. Don't paste card numbers, bank logins, Social Security numbers, passwords or health details into any AI tool. Before you paste customer messages or lists, swap full names for first names or initials and remove phone numbers and addresses. Check your AI tool's data settings (the next line shows where in ChatGPT, as of 2026-09-26).

In ChatGPT, it's under Settings, then Data controls: the switch called "Improve the model for everyone." Turn it off if you don't want your chats used to train OpenAI's AI (checked 2026-09-26).

Signs of a scam. Warning signs from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC):

• They pretend to be someone you know: a government agency, your bank, a utility or a supplier. Caller ID can be faked.
• There's a problem or a prize. You owe money, or you've won something.
• They rush you so you can't stop and check.
• They want paying in an odd way: gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency or a payment app.
• They ask for the code your bank or email just texted you. Anyone who asks for it is a scammer.
• A bill you don't recognize, for supplies, ads or a directory listing nobody ordered.

When in doubt, don't click. Contact the company with a number or website you already know.

Strong passwords. CISA, the federal cyber safety agency, has three password tips. Make each one long: at least 16 characters. Make it random. And use a different one for every account. Four to seven unrelated words work well. A password manager can store them. Also turn on two-step login for email, bank and social media.