Voice cloning scams: How to protect yourself from audio deepfakes
Sophisticated voice cloning tools are enabling phone scams where callers impersonate loved ones in urgent distress.
Advancements in artificial intelligence are making sophisticated voice cloning tools cheaper and far more accessible, paving the way for convincing audio deepfake scams over the phone. Fraudsters leverage these technologies to deceive unsuspecting targets by mimicking the voices of familiar individuals.[1]
A common scenario begins when an incoming call appears to be from a spouse, grandmother, or a close friend seen in online videos. The caller claims to be in severe distress, such as having been involved in a car accident, and urgently pleads for help by asking the recipient to hand over personal information under the guise of an emergency contact.[1][2]
To avoid falling victim to these increasingly common deepfake phone scams, experts recommend taking proactive precautions. The primary piece of advice when confronted with a suspicious or distressing call demanding personal details is simple: immediately hang up the phone.[1][2]
