SCAMS are running rampant these days, but many now involve you or your loved one’s voice.
A lawyer with experience in the field of fraud almost fell victim to a voice cloning scam.
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The startup responsible for this technology claims that it can serve harmless purposes, for a CBS News report.
This could be something like narrating books or providing a voice for those who don’t have one.
To prevent misuse, they offer a feature where users can upload audio clips to check if the service created them.
However, scammers can capture your voice in social media videos, voicemail messages, or by recording phone calls, making complete protection challenging.
Gary Schildhorn, a fraud lawyer, almost fell victim to a voice cloning scam.
Convinced his son was in danger after an alleged accident, Schildhorn was prepared to withdraw $9,000.
It wasn’t until he received a FaceTime call from his real son that he was exposed to the nature of the scam.
“He said, ‘Dad, I’m in trouble, I was in an accident. I think I broke my nose. I hit a pregnant woman. They arrested me, I’m in prison. You need to help me.’
“I said, ‘Brett, of course I’ll help you,’” he told the outlet.
“I knew it was my son. There was no doubt in my mind,” Schildhorn added.
Authorities told Schildhorn that tracking the perpetrators was nearly impossible due to the use of burner phones and cryptocurrencies.
Schildhorn later testified before a Senate committee on AI and fraud, calling for stronger measures to combat such fraud and emphasizing the lack of solutions for victims like himself.
SCAM’T TOUCH THIS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz has emphasized personal vigilance, suggesting using a secret code word shared with family to verify identities during emergencies, CNBC reported.
She also advised pausing and double-checking before sharing money or confidential information.
If you happen to answer a call from an unknown number and it appears that a distressed family member is urgently requesting money, resist the temptation to panic.
Instead, end the call and try to contact the person using the number provided, rather than the number that called you, to check on their well-being.
Top tips to avoid bank scams
As scams become more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence, it is important that you know how to identify them:
- Be skeptical of online businesses that seem too good to be true, especially on social media.
- Scammers often use tactics to make you panic so that you make quick decisions – be cautious if you are asked to take immediate action and check who has contacted you.
- Chase Bank warns customers to “never return any unexpected funds without calling Chase first.”
- Never send money to someone you’ve only spoken to online or on the phone, as this is likely a romantic scam.
- Unless you know 100% who you are talking to, never give someone remote access to your device.
- Never accept help from strangers at ATMs and always be careful when making withdrawals.
- Do not send money or click on links that indicate you have won a prize.
Source: Chase.com
The same precaution applies if you receive a call from a scammer posing as your bank.
Avoid immediately accepting their statements.
Instead, end the call and contact the number listed on your bank’s official website or on the back of your debit or credit card, he suggests.
It is particularly crucial to quickly disconnect from these scam calls as they do not require extensive recording of your voice to replicate using AI technology.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
