- Phone scammers are utilising AI to clone voices, including those of friends and family, leading to emotionally devastating encounters for victims.
- Americans faced a significant increase in fraud losses, reaching nearly $9 billion last year, with AI-driven scams contributing to the alarming surge.
Artificial intelligence is elevating the complexity of telephone scams, rendering them more sophisticated and plausible. Unscrupulous individuals are now harnessing this technology to duplicate voices, even those of acquaintances and family members.
This concerning trend is exacerbating the escalating losses caused by fraudulent activities. In the previous year alone, Americans suffered losses of nearly $9 billion due to fraud—an alarming surge of over 150% within a span of merely two years, as reported by the Federal Trade Commission.
The employment of AI in these scams, utilizing computer-generated voices, has left a trail of profound emotional devastation. A poignant account from Jennifer DeStefano, a mother, during a U.S. Senate meeting recounts her harrowing encounter with scammers who deceitfully assumed the voice of her 15-year-old daughter, falsely claiming they had her in their clutches.
“Mom, these malevolent individuals have me. Please help, help, help,” DeStefano recollected being informed over the phone, while her daughter was actually safe in her own bed.
Kathy Stokes, the AARP director of fraud prevention, observed that younger individuals tend to experience fraud and financial loss more frequently than their elder counterparts. However, it is the older generation who often have significantly more at stake.
Pete Nicoletti, a cybersecurity expert at Check Point Software Technologies, highlighted that commonplace software can now recreate a person’s voice with a mere 10 minutes of learning.
To safeguard against voice cloning scams, Nicoletti recommends families adopt a “code word” system and always verify the authenticity of calls by calling back the person. Additionally, he advises setting social media accounts to private, as publicly available information can be effortlessly exploited by malicious actors.
