In Today’s digital era, the rapid advancements in AI have given birth to voice clones or deepfake voices, leading to a concerning rise in potential scams. As exciting as these technological innovations can be, they also carry significant threats. Here’s a dive into the types of scams we can anticipate flourishing due to voice clones and how you can arm yourself against them.
The Three Major Scams to Watch Out For:
- Imposter Scams From Within: Imagine receiving a call from a superior or a colleague, asking you to execute an urgent financial transaction. The voice is identical. Why would you doubt it? Many believe that the future might even bring deepfake video calls, making the deception even more believable.
- BEC (Business Email Compromise) Scams: These scams are set to escalate, with fraudsters using AI voice to perfectly imitate CEOs or senior officials. Their main goal? Duping unsuspecting employees into making unauthorized wire transfers or leaking confidential data.
- Extortion and Ransom Scams: These are perhaps the most alarming. Scammers use AI-generated voice clones to mimic the voices of loved ones, often to convey fake emergencies or crises. The result? Victims may be coerced into paying a ransom, thinking they’re helping someone they care about.
Protecting Yourself from AI Voice Scammers
Here are some key ways to identify and prevent falling for these scams:
- Engage Them with a Random Question: Throw them off with an unexpected question like, “How’s the weather in [random city]?” An AI, prepped with specific scripts, will falter.
- Test Their Musical Abilities: Ask them to hum a tune or sing a song. Current AI voice clones can’t match the pitch and variation of genuine human singing.
- Introduce Humor: Tell a joke and observe the response. AI doesn’t truly understand humor, and its response will be off-mark or entirely out of context.
- Get Personal: Pose a question that the person they’re impersonating would know. An AI, lacking that personal knowledge, will give an incorrect answer or deflect.
- Call Back: If you receive an unexpected call demanding action or information, hang up and call back on a known, trusted number for that individual or organization.
- Ask for Past Memories: Discussing shared memories or experiences can be tricky for a scammer. They might dodge the question or give a vague response.
- Unexpected Changes in Topic: Switch between topics rapidly or bring up something entirely unexpected. An AI, especially one operating on a script, might struggle to keep up or respond appropriately.
- Trust Your Instincts: If something feels off, it probably is. Always trust your gut feeling and take a moment to evaluate the situation.