There’s nothing quite as chilling as receiving a call that sounds exactly like someone you know, yet it’s not them. It has become a reality with the rise of AI. Some people are using AI to make voice clones of loved ones so that they can scam them out of their money. Let’s find out more about how such a scam works.
What an AI voice clone actually is
An AI voice clone works by using software to copy how a real person talks. The software copies a person’s tone, pacing, changes to their pitch, even small speech habits that they may have. An AI voice clone works differently from other voice scams because, rather than replaying a recording, it generates completely new speech that imitates the original speaker.
The original person probably never said any of the things in the audio. That’s one of the reasons they’re so dangerous. Scammers can put the cloned voices over phone calls or audio messages. They sound quite natural.
How little real audio can be enough
One of the scariest parts of voice cloning technology is the fact that it doesn’t require hours of recording to copy someone’s voice. A few short clips are often enough to build a usable copy of someone’s voice. These samples will give the AI an idea of how a person speaks, including the words they often use and the pauses between phrases.
They’ll also understand a person’s use of tone. The software is able to use that information to create new audio that follows the same pattern. You might be surprised at how closely the AI cloned voice copies a real person’s speech patterns.
What a voice-clone call often includes
So what makes these clone voices so dangerous? It’s mostly because scammers use them to get money from unsuspecting victims. They’ll make short and direct calls to a target, using the cloned voice to create a sense of trust. What comes next is a request for money due to some kind of emergency, or perhaps they’ll ask the victim to give them access to an account.
The scam works because the voice sounds right, and the timing makes it seem like you have to respond quickly. Some scammers will play the audio live while others will use a pre-recorded one. They might simply mix the voice into the conversation. It doesn’t matter how they do it because they all sound convincing.
Why the voice sounds convincing
You might think you’d be able to spot a synthetic voice. But hearing them on a phone line is a different experience because the compression and speaker quality can hide any small imperfections. AI voice cloning has also come a long way. The generated voice can sound surprisingly expressive and natural, despite being completely made up by a computer.
You should be aware that simply hearing a familiar voice on the phone doesn’t mean it’s really them. It’s probably not a real person. The chances of someone faking a loved one’s voice are a lot higher than you might recognize.
Set up a family passphrase
There are some ways to keep yourself safe from such scams. You should start by agreeing on a phrase for your family member to use to verify it’s actually them. They have to use the phrase whenever they’re asking for money or account information. You should end the call immediately unless they give that specific word or phrase.
It goes without saying that you must avoid telling people on social media about the phrase, and you should avoid common phrases like birthdays or pet names. Treat it like a password. Only trusted people may have it, and it needs to be original.
Use the callback rule with a saved number
You should also avoid immediately doing what the person says. Hang up and call the person back using a number you already have saved or one that you know can only be them. Don’t rely on using caller ID or calling the person back on the same number they rang you from. It’s far too easy for scammers to fake people’s numbers.
You may also want to try texting them or sending them an email, as long as you are sure that that contact information is accurate. Real people aren’t going to mind waiting a minute or two for you to verify their information.
Put speed bumps on payments that scammers ask for
Scammers will try to make you use payment options like gift cards or app transfers to get your money. These payment platforms are harder to reverse, and they move quickly. That’s why you should set a rule to block any instant requests for money.
Don’t listen to anyone pressuring you to act right away. End the call and make sure the person’s legitimate before you do anything else. There’s no harm in taking a little longer to make sure that someone’s real, and a loved one is going to understand that fact.
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