AI Voice Scams: What They Are and How to Avoid Them

About Tori Thurmond

Tori Thurmond combines her creative writing background with her marketing experience in her role as the Content Specialist at Brookdale. When she's not writing, she's probably spending time with her two cats or knitting.

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Since generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, like ChatGPT, were recently introduced to the public (ChatGPT was released at the end of 2022, for example), the technological landscape hasn’t been the same. While AI technology is certainly leading to great advancements that can help us in our day-to-day lives, the technology has also lead to new and more advanced scams, such as AI voice scams.

These AI voice scams use AI tools to replicate human voices, with some even impersonating individuals or organizations you trust with the aim of gaining sensitive information or getting you to send money. The bad actors who are initiating these scams are typically known for using some pretty intimidating tactics to get their targeted victims to send over the money or information they want, like claiming to be holding a loved one hostage.

What can be so effective about these voice scams is that victims often think they are speaking to their loved one—the voice typically sounds just like the person they know and trust. Voice cloning technology is what helps to make scams like this possible. As farfetched as it sounds, AI tools have made it relatively easy to clone someone’s voice. Most voice cloning technology only needs a short recording of a person’s voice to create a fairly convincing AI replica. These recordings can be pulled from a voicemail, a phone call or a social media profile.

Although situations like this are nerve-racking and can be hard to avoid, there are ways you can help protect yourself from becoming a victim of an AI voice scam.

Don’t Answer Unknown Numbers

While some scammers can replicate the numbers of people you know through a tactic called phone spoofing, other scam calls might come up as a number you don’t have saved in your contacts. If you don’t recognize the number, send the caller to voicemail. Most likely, if the call is genuine and important, they will leave you a message, and you can call them back.

End the Call

Often times, scammers will try to rush their targets into giving them the money or information they want quickly, before the target has a chance to realize what’s going on. Whether you happened to answer a phone call from an unknown number or it looks like a family member is calling, hang up if you are presented with an urgent and unusual request. You can always follow-up with a separate call or text your loved one from your phone to see if they are OK or if their request is legitimate.

Create a Secret Password

Even though the last time you came up with a secret password between friends or family was when you were a kid and had a special fort or treehouse, agreeing on a password can be an effective way to identify if you’re really speaking with who you think you’re speaking with. If you think you are speaking with a friend or family member, you should make sure that the person you’re speaking with can tell you the password before you share any information with them over the phone. Just make sure you choose something that no one else would be able to easily guess or know the answer to.

Report Any Suspicious Activity

If you fear that you’ve fallen victim to or were a target of an AI voice scam, report the incident to your local law enforcement. They might be able to tell you if other similar instances have occurred or what to do if you fear you’ve given away information to a scammer.

Be Aware of Your Virtual Presence

Check your privacy settings on your online profiles to make sure access to your personal data is limited, and be careful on social media. You could consider making your social media accounts private if you like to post videos of yourself talking. It’s also important to make sure you’re not posting sensitive information online, like your home address.

As scary as scams like AI voice scams are, educating yourself and your loved ones on the latest tactics scammers are using is one of the best ways to avoid falling victim. If something feels wrong about a phone call, don’t be afraid to take a step back, hang up, and verify the situation with your friends or family. When it comes to your personal data, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

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