The FBI has warned that AI scam calls – in which scammers can imitate a loved ones’ voice and even appearance when trying to extort money from victims – are on the rise.
The new tech “increases the believability of their schemes,” the bureau added, and saves fraudsters time and money.
It can be used for text and image-based scams, too. Which? said about a quarter of UK scam calls are now AI-powered.
Actor Josh Peck said in his podcast, Good Guys, that he’s so panicked about a family member falling victim to the scam that he’s taken the time to warn his own parents.
“I told my mother in the age of AI, there’s a chance that someone… God knows, you could copy my voice… someone could call you one day sounding like me, asking you for X amount of money,” he shared.
Luckily, experts say there’s a simple way to protect your family from the scam, which the actor and podcaster uses himself.
Use a codeword
Josh shared that he told his mother: “We need to have a codeword so that you’ll know that it’s really me.”
And while he says his own mum scoffed at the idea, experts are on his side.
Speaking to CBS MoneyWatch, James Scobey, chief information security officer at Keeper Security, recommended the method too.
“It needs to be unique and should be something that’s difficult to guess,” he advised.
“It shouldn’t be something that can be researched online about you or your family. Avoid street names, towns, phone numbers and individual names as part of a pass phrase.”
Even the FBI agrees. Its first suggestion to protect yourself from the scam is to “create a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity”.
Any other suggestions?
Yep – the FBI said we should look out for any little imperfections of a person’s appearance or voice in a call demanding money.
We should also make our social media accounts private and limit the images and voice clips we make public on the internet if possible, the bureau added.
Registering with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) in the UK will mean legitimate companies will be unable to call your phone out of the blue.
That way, you’ll know any out-of-the-blue caller claiming to represent a business is a scammer.
If you have lost any money to a scam and live in Northern Ireland, England, or Wales, report it to Action Fraud immediately. If you’re in Scotland, you can also call the police on 101.
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