Scam callers are using AI voices to trick their victims

A recent string of scam calls has surfaced, and it involves using AI voices to sound like people’s loved ones.

In a recent report from The Washington Post, a disturbing new phone call scam was brought to light. Scammers can now use AI voice to mimic friends or loved ones in an attempt to scam unsuspecting callers.

One reported instance involved an elderly couple and their grandson. A phone call from the “grandson” to his grandparents revealed that he was in jail and needed money.

The problem is, it wasn’t their grandson at all. The call came from a scammer mimicking the grandson’s voice in an attempt to get money from the grandparents.

It was only after withdrawing the maximum amount at a bank and heading to another for more money that the unsuspecting grandparents found out what was happening.

“We were sucked in. We were convinced that we were talking to Brandon,” said the scam target in an interview with The Washington Post.

A manager at the second bank had seen this scam playing out with another patron and was able to stop the couple from sending money.

It was only a matter of time before something like this became a problem. We’ve seen the rise of AI voice deepfakes in recent weeks among celebrities and politicians.

That should already raise concerns for people. Imagine the fake scandals that could come if someone really wanted to shake things up in Washington, D.C.

But now, individuals need to be wary of these kinds of fakes. Scammers now have the ability to mimic seemingly anyone. All they need is an audio sample with a few spoken sentences.

Keep your ears out for these kinds of AI scams, and don’t send money to any unknown sources without confirmation.

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