Voice Cloning Scams: What to Look Out For

The voice of a loved one, someone you trust, or a celebrity you admire can be a powerful tool to use against you. Scammers know this, and thus voice cloning fraud is on the rise. Actual impersonation used to be the name of the game, but now, with the rise of AI technologies, cloning voices has made things much easier, and frighteningly more accurate.

That said, if you keep your wits about you and look for warning signs, you should be able to detect these scams before things get too damaging. This article will give you some tips.

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A Friend in Need

One day, out of the blue, you get a phone call. A friend you know is stranded in an unfamiliar town and needs money to get home. Or it’s a well-known politician calling to solicit funds for a campaign, or a celebrity you adore calling to tell you that you’re a winner in a contest you don’t remember entering. If it were a stranger’s voice, these calls might immediately seem fishy, but if you know the caller, things can become personal very quickly.

AI (artificial intelligence) has made it easy for cybercriminals to clone voices that are virtually indistinguishable from the real deal. They obtain samples of voices from a phone call, social media upload, or interview and have machine learning craft a “voice” based on the speech patterns. Even a few seconds is enough time to create a convincing voice.

They can then use AI to say anything in that person’s voice.

Protecting Yourself From Voice Cloning Scams

Such voice cloning scams have been used to defraud more than just ordinary people. Governments, security companies, and massive corporations have fallen victim to a well-placed voice cloning scam. With everything from money to government secrets at stake, official platforms are themselves utilizing AI to detect cloned voices.

On a personal note, there’s a lot you can look out for to help identify this scam. Here’s a list of some major flags:

Urgency – This is perhaps the biggest indicator of a scam. The scammer gives you no time to think or use reason lest you discover the fraud. Any requests for immediate money transfers or action to prevent a catastrophe should set off alarm bells.
Different number – If a person you know is suddenly calling from an unknown or strange number, then you should be cautious. You can use call screening apps to see if the number is a known scammer number.
Requesting personal information – Any official channel asking for banking details over the phone is highly suspicious.
Lack of specificity – If the caller knows your name but not much else, then chances are they might not be genuine. Don’t be afraid to ask for specific information about your real-life relationship if you feel uneasy.
Unrealistic offers – If a deal from a “celebrity” or company seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Reluctance to speak via video – If the “loved one” calling doesn’t wish to show their face via video chat, then you should start to be suspicious.
Patterns of speech – Even though AI voices have become very natural, there can still be odd pauses or incorrect intonation between words that give their artificiality away. Listen closely.

How to Deal With Voice Cloning Scams

If confronted with a call that you aren’t quite sure about, the most important thing is to take a step back and analyze the situation. Don’t be afraid to ask for more time. Things are never as urgent as scammers make them out to be and actual companies will give you much more time than a scammer would.

If the call is from a friend or loved one, try calling them on their own number to confirm the conversation. Don’t be afraid to contact others connected with them either.

Most importantly, don’t be afraid to hang up and disengage at any point.

Once you’ve figured out the fraud, report it immediately to your local law enforcement.

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