Never underestimate the determination of terrible people to exploit technology to do terrible things.
One day you may get a phone call from a relative or a close friend, saying they’re in trouble and need you to send money immediately. You recognize the voice, so your immediate impulse is to help them. But that call may be from someone you don’t know, trying to take you for everything he can.
Doing so is possible through the use of voice-cloning technology. Scammers find clips on TikTok or other platforms, record the audio of the person speaking, and run that content through a voice-cloning program. Now, whatever the scammer says on a call will sound like the person whose voice they captured. Such technology used to be expensive, but the cost has dropped considerably, making it more accessible for anyone looking to make a quick dishonest profit.
Once one has an audio clip, finding that person’s home address online is easy enough. With that information, it’s also easy to obtain a list of the person’s relatives, business associates, and friends – all of whom now become possible targets.
Does it Work?
The Federal Trade Commission has heard enough complaints to issue a warning, which means the number of victims is likely in the thousands. In 2019, scammers impersonating the boss of an energy firm CEO demanded and received nearly $250,000. And several senior citizens in Canada recently lost a combined $200,000 in a voice-cloning scam.
What You Should Do
There are a lot of factors that you cannot account for with a scam like this. If you receive a desperate call supposedly from your brother, and he’s sitting on the couch next to you, it’s over. But just like the old Nigerian money transfer emails, it only takes one victim to turn a profit.
One way to confirm the authenticity of the caller is to hang up and call the person back. Thieves may try to avert this by claiming the person lost his or her cell phone or some other excuse. Should that be the case, ask the caller a question only that person could answer. This should be unattainable through public records, such as a birth date. Instead, ask the name of their favorite high school teacher, or to discuss a memory you both share of a movie or concert you attended together. If they won’t answer, hang up.
You can also reduce the risk of such scams by keeping your personal information off the Internet.
Our online privacy protection program, IronWall360, scans the Internet for all sites where someone’s home address and phone number are accessible. We then contact that site to make sure that content is removed. And we don’t take “no” for an answer.
Does it work? Our program's renewal rate has been over 90% since 2011. Yes, it works.
Find out more about why this service is needed now more than ever, and why we’re the top choice in our space for public servants and private citizens.
