How are Scammers CLONING Your Grandchild’s Voice?
“B ut their voice sounded so real!” says a victim of voice cloned scamming. That’s because it is real — sort of . Not only have the tales fabricated by scammers grown increasingly disturbing, but their tactics have become more maniacal, with artifi- cial intelligence (AI) readily available. The good news is that they aren’t hacking into our phone lines like a true crime detective. The bad news is that if any of your family members post videos online, the AI only needs several seconds to capture that voice you know and love and use it against you. Once the voice is modified by AI, your number is dialed, and the ghastly stories unfold. A popular storyline by scammers may go something like this: You receive a call from someone who sounds just like your relative. They tell you that they just caused a car accident result- ing in devastating injuries. The scam- mer, who sounds just like your loved
one, assures you that if a certain amount of money ($7,000–$14,000) is provided, the injured party (who isn’t real) won’t press charges and won’t send the person you love to jail. While It’s difficult to imagine people will go to such lengths to trick you, it’s essential to understand how these scams work and what you can do to stay safe.
resort to the safe word method. J ust be sure a safe word is established beforehand with close friends and family!
Ask Personal Questions
If the caller has forgotten the safe word, prepare a list of questions only you two would know. For example: “What did I get you for Christmas?” “What’s our favorite restaurant to eat at?” “When’s the last time we saw each other?” “What’s our favorite TV show to watch together?”
Call the Person Back
Scammers now alter caller IDs to display the names of family members. If you answer a call from a relative but things seem strange, hang up and call them back. Make sure you dial a number that’s memorized or written down on paper, and don’t click the “call back” button.
Call Another Family Member
Suppose the caller suffers from amnesia and can’t recall anything prior to the conversation they initi- ated. Like what the safe word is or that the two of you love watching Jeopardy! together . Call another rela- tive and ask if they’ve recently spoken to your prospective family member to see if their scenario seems plausible.
Have a Safe Word
If the caller uses an unrecognized number, insisting their phone died,
48 • AMAC Magazine
Powered by FlippingBook