Your phone rings. It’s your daughter’s voice, upset, saying she’s been in an accident and needs money urgently. Except it isn’t her. It’s a cloned voice created by AI from a few seconds of audio.
AI has made old scams far more convincing. The good news is that the same simple habits still defeat them.
How AI is changing scams
- Voice cloning: with a short clip of someone’s voice, from social media, a voicemail greeting or a video, scammers can make “them” say anything.
- Deepfake video: fake videos of celebrities, experts or even people you know, often promoting investments or asking for money.
- Flawless fake messages: AI writes scam emails and texts with perfect spelling and grammar, in any language, tailored to you.
- Fake customer service: AI chatbots and phone agents pretending to be your bank or a delivery company.
Common AI scams to know
- The “family emergency” call: a relative’s voice says they’re in trouble and need money right now, often with a plea not to tell anyone.
- The “Hi Mum, new number” message: a text or WhatsApp message from a “child” with a new phone who needs help paying a bill.
- The fake boss: an urgent voice or video message from a manager asking for a payment or gift cards.
- The celebrity investment ad: a realistic video of a famous person recommending a “guaranteed” investment.
- The fake bank call: a professional-sounding caller who already knows some of your details.
The warning signs haven’t changed
AI makes scams sound real, but the pattern is the same:
- Urgency: “It has to be right now.”
- Secrecy: “Don’t tell Dad” or “Don’t hang up.”
- Unusual payment: bank transfer to a new account, gift cards, cryptocurrency.
- A new number or account: “I’ve lost my phone, this is my new number.”
If you spot urgency plus money, stop.
How to protect your family
1. Agree a family safe word
Choose a word or phrase that only your family knows. If someone calls in an “emergency,” ask for it. A scammer with a cloned voice won’t know it. It takes two minutes to set up.
2. Hang up and call back
End the call, then ring the person on the number you already have for them. Do the same for your bank: call the number on the back of your card. A real emergency survives a two-minute check.
3. Don’t trust caller ID
Scammers can make any number appear on your screen, including your bank’s or a family member’s.
4. Ask a question only they could answer
“What did we have for dinner on Sunday?” works better than anything a scammer could find online.
5. Be careful what’s public
Consider making social media accounts private, and think about how much video and audio of your family is publicly available.
6. Talk about it
Tell older relatives and teenagers about these scams. People who have heard of a scam are far less likely to fall for it.
Spotting a deepfake
Fakes are getting better, so don’t rely on spotting flaws. But look for unnatural blinking or lip movement, odd lighting, a voice that sounds flat or strangely paced, and a video that only exists on one unfamiliar account. Where it came from matters more than how it looks.
If you’ve been targeted
- Sent money? Call your bank immediately using the number on your card. In the UK you can dial 159 to reach your bank safely.
- Report it: in the UK, Action Fraud, and forward scam texts to 7726. In the US, reportfraud.ftc.gov.
- Warn your family and friends, since the scammer may try them next.
The bottom line
You can no longer trust a voice or a video on its own. So don’t. Agree a family safe word, hang up and call back on a number you know, and treat urgency plus money as a red flag every time.
