Artificial Intelligence technology, or AI for short, has seen rapid growth in development and applications in recent years. Unfortunately, scammers have found a way to utilize AI to trick people more easily. One example is called AI voice cloning, and while there are practical applications, scammers use it to impersonate the voice of a family member or friend, ostensibly in need of help. There is usually an element of urgency to these calls, such as claiming your child is being held for ransom. As is often the case, scammers are trying to throw you into panic mode so that you take action without thinking. However, there are steps you can take to ensure you do not fall victim to such threats:
Be calm, skeptical, and cautious during any phone call.
Always verify the caller's identity. If they claim to be a family member, hang up and call that person directly.
If they do not pick up, call another close contact such as a parent or roommate.
Are you being asked to send money? If so, how are they wanting it to be sent? A wire transfer or gift cards are red flags for a scam.
Be proactive by establishing a "safe word" with your family. This will be a secret code that a family member could repeat, but a scammer will not know.
If you suspect you are being targeted by AI voice generation fraud, you can file a report to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov