How to Avoid Scams That Use Fake AI Voices

What you will learn

In this guide, you will learn how scammers use artificial intelligence to copy real voices and trick people into sending money or sharing personal information. You will learn the warning signs and what to do if you receive a suspicious call.

Important: If someone calls asking for money urgently, hang up and call them back on their real number. Scammers depend on making you panic so you do not think clearly.

What you need

• A phone (mobile or landline)
• The real phone numbers of your close family members saved in your contacts

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Understand what AI voice cloning is

AI voice cloning is a technology that can copy a person’s voice using a short audio sample. With just a few seconds of someone speaking, AI can create new audio that sounds exactly like that person. Scammers use this to impersonate your family members, friends, or authority figures like bank employees.

Step 2: Know how the scam works

A typical AI voice scam works like this:

1. You receive a phone call from what sounds like your child, grandchild, or close relative
2. The voice sounds panicked and says something like “I have been in an accident” or “I have been arrested”
3. They ask you to send money immediately, usually by wire transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency
4. They tell you not to tell anyone else

The voice sounds real because it is generated by AI using audio from social media, voicemail, or previous phone calls.

Step 3: Do not act on emotion

When you hear a loved one’s voice in distress, your first instinct is to help immediately. This is exactly what scammers count on. Instead:

• Take a deep breath
• Do not agree to send money during the call
• Do not share bank details, passwords, or personal information
• Tell them you will call them right back

Step 4: Hang up and call the real person

End the suspicious call. Then call the person who supposedly contacted you using the phone number you have saved in your contacts (not the number they called from). Ask them if they are okay and if they called you.

In most cases, you will find that the person is perfectly fine and never called you.

Step 5: Set up a family code word

Agree on a secret code word with your close family members. This should be a word or phrase that only your family knows. If someone calls claiming to be a family member in an emergency, ask for the code word. A scammer will not know it.

Choose something that is easy to remember but impossible for a stranger to guess. Do not use birthdays, pet names, or anything that can be found on social media.

Step 6: Report the scam

If you receive a scam call, report it. This helps authorities track and stop scammers.

• In the US: Report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
• In the UK: Report to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk
• In the EU: Contact your national consumer protection agency
• In your country: Search for “[your country] report phone scam” to find the right agency

Tips

• Never send money based on a phone call alone. Legitimate emergencies can always wait for a quick verification call.
• Be careful what you share online. Videos and voice messages on social media give scammers the audio they need to clone your voice.
• Tell your family about this scam. The more people know about it, the harder it is for scammers to succeed.
• Scammers create urgency. Real emergencies do not require you to buy gift cards or send cryptocurrency. If someone asks for that, it is a scam.