The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has reported that criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence voice cloning scams to impersonate loved ones in crisis situations. The FBI advises implementing a simple check to protect against this.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has reported that criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence voice cloning scams to impersonate loved ones in crisis situations. The FBI advises implementing a simple check to protect against this.
«Create a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity,» the FBI said. This is reported by Ars Technica.
The Bureau advises to agree in advance with loved ones about a special word or phrase to check your identity if something seems suspicious. Here are some examples that the FBI advises:
The password should be an unusual word or phrase that could theoretically be guessed by attackers.
The FBI says criminals are using AI-generated audio to create convincing voice clips of relatives pleading for urgent financial help or ransom payments. The agency recommends paying close attention to the tone and choice of words in unexpected calls that appear to be calls from family members.
It’s worth noting that these types of fraudulent clones usually rely on publicly available voice samples (such as a podcast or recorded interview). Therefore, the danger threatens, foremost, at least somewhat public figures.
The FBI report also says that criminals are also using artificial intelligence models to create convincing profile photos, identification documents and chatbots embedded in fraudulent websites. These tools automate the creation of deceptive content while reducing previously obvious signs that a human is behind the scam, such as poor grammar or obviously fake photos.
The first appearance of a secret word in the context of modern AI voice synthesis and deepfakes is probably from AI developer Asari Nir, who announced the idea on Twitter on March 27, 2023.
«It can be helpful to create a 'proof of humanity' that your trusted contacts may ask you to do. If they get a weird and urgent voice or video call from you, it helps them to make sure they’re actually talking to you and not a fake/cloned version of you,» Neer said.
Previously, Elon Musk shared a video that resembled the first advertisement for the 2024 presidential campaign of US Vice President Kamala Harris. However, he did not specify that it was a parody with a synthesized AI voice.
AI voice cloning is not only used for malicious purposes. Previously, the Ukrainian startup Respeecher used artificial intelligence to reproduce the voice of a deceased actor for the addition «Illusion of Freedom» to the game Cyberpunk 2077. The company says that this technology can transform the field of voice acting without leaving people «overboard».
