Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published an article sharing a remarkable development in artificial intelligence (AI) technology: AI is now capable of cloning voices.
Unfortunately, that also means that scammers are using the tool to their advantage. By taking audio clips that people post to social media and using this new AI technology, scammers can generate a panicked phone call to you from a “family member in trouble.”
Here’s what you need to know:
- If you receive a panicked phone call from a family member in urgent need of money, don’t trust the voice because it might not actually be your family member. It could be AI.
- Instead, slow down the moment: Tell them you’re going to hang up and call them right back.
- Then, instead of calling the number that just reached out to you, call your loved one using a phone number you already know and trust to be theirs. If they pick up, you’ll be able to verify the first phone call. If you can’t reach them, reach out to another family member or their friends until you do.
Key takeaway: Don’t trust the story or send money until you can verify that it is legitimate.
How the Fraud Squad can help
The Fraud Squad provides education about common scams to retailers and consumers. The program helps raise awareness of common scams so they can more easily recognize the lies and avoid phone, email, social media, gift card and other scams to help them protect their financial health and wealth. Learn more about ways to safeguard your finances at fraudsquad.com.
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