Because AI has become so sophisticated in a relatively short time, con artists are now able to use audio and video clips found on social media content to replicate the voice of a family member, making the scam much more believable.
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/23/11/12/2130244/ai-generated-voice-deepfakes-are-being-used-in-scams
With the holidays coming up, scam calls, texts, and emails are on the rise. With the growth of artificial intelligence technology, or “AI” for short, scammers are now using the intelligence to create and mimic human voices. This type of scam has been going on for many years. A scam artist would call a family member and tell the family member they had a cold and that’s why they sounded so funny. Then, they would make a plea to have the family member send them money.
Because AI has become so sophisticated in a relatively short time, con artists are now able to use audio and video clips found on social media content to replicate the voice of a family member, making the scam much more believable. Because the initial response is panic, and the scammer is trying to get the person to act quickly, the caller on the other end of the scam does what the scam artist is demanding.
In 2022, phone and cyber scams accounted for approximately $10 billion that was extorted from people who fell for this type of scam. Terms such as “quickly” and “don’t tell anybody,” are clues that you are being scammed. Ways the scammer wants you to pay are also clues; wire funds, a gift card, or an app that you can pay online are just a few ways that make it harder for the victim to recover their funds.
But there are ways to prevent this from happening to you.
First and foremost, make all your social media content private, except to your friends. Consider having a safe word with your family members that can be used in the event someone is in trouble. Contact law enforcement right away and try to record the call, if possible, so that you can have it for law enforcement. Try and remain calm and listen for details like an incorrect or mispronounced name.
If, for some reason, the scammer can extort money from you, and you realize it after the fact, contact your bank or credit card company, explain what happened, and try and cancel the transaction. Do the same with a money order.
Even if a scammer is not able to extort money from you, always report incidents like this to your local law enforcement agency and to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
