Alarm for smartphone users / How to be careful of voice clones

2024-03-19 22:00:00, Tech CNA

Alarm for smartphone users / How to be careful of voice clones

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Smartphone owners have been warned about a new wave of scam calls that use Artificial Intelligence to imitate familiar voices. Cybercriminals are using Artificial Intelligence to trick victims and reveal personal information, according to a recent blog post from Keeper Security.

The cloning technology, known as "deepfakes," can replicate the voices of friends, family and even customer service representatives.

HOW DOES VOICE TAKING BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WORK?

AI voice scams rely on a two-step process, voice cloning and social engineering (the act of manipulating a person or group of people).

First, the scammers get a sample of the voice of the person who might be their target. This can be done through various means, such as recording a phone conversation, extracting audio from social media posts, or synthesizing speech from text messages.

Then, they use AI voice cloning technology to create a near-perfect copy by analyzing voice pitch, and emotional inflections. Once the voice is cloned, they begin the social engineering attack by calling the target and using the cloned voice to build trust and rapport.

In some cases, scammers may try to take advantage by pretending to be a family member in a difficult financial situation and in need of emergency assistance.

One method they choose to mainly deceive the third age is to fabricate situations, thus pretending that these people could be their grandchildren while they are facing arrest and asking for bail money.

HOW TO STAY SAFE

While AI voice scams pose a sophisticated threat, there are steps you can take to protect yourself. First, you should be wary of unexpected calls, as scammers often take advantage of the element of surprise.

If you receive a call from an unknown number or a known number with an unusual history, proceed with caution and don't automatically assume it's legitimate.

When you receive a call from someone claiming to be from a company or organization, hang up and call them on a number you know is legitimate, not relying solely on caller ID, as it may be deceptive.

Scammers can sometimes collect voice samples from social media posts, so be careful what you share online and store personal information carefully. /CNA