Financial Wellness
Beware Of AI Voice Clone Impersonation Scams
In today's digital era, rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have given birth to voice clones or deepfake voices, leading to a concerning rise in potential scams. As exciting as these technological innovations can be, they also carry significant threats. Here is a dive into the types of scams we can anticipate flourishing due to voice clones, and how you can arm yourself against them.
3 major scams to watch out for
Imposter Scams From Within: Imagine receiving a call from a superior or a colleague, asking you to execute an urgent financial transaction. The spoofed voice sounds identical to that person's real voice. Why would you doubt it? Many believe that the future might even bring deepfake video calls, making the deception even more believable.
BEC (Business Email Compromise) Scams: These scams are set to escalate, with fraudsters using AI voice to perfectly imitate CEOs or senior officials. Their main goal? Duping unsuspecting employees into making unauthorized wire transfers or leaking confidential data.
Extortion and Ransom Scams: These are perhaps the most alarming. Scammers use AI-generated voice clones to mimic the voices of loved ones, often to convey fake emergencies or crises. The result? Victims may be coerced into paying a ransom, thinking they're helping someone they care about.
Additional types of scams
Tech Support Scams: Fraudsters might replicate the voice of genuine customer service representatives. They could claim there's an issue with your device or software, urging you to share sensitive information or make a payment.
Insurance Fraud: Scammers could mimic the voice of an insurance agent, asking victims to renew their policies, upgrade them, or provide personal details for verification purposes.
Banking Impersonation Scams: By imitating the voice of a bank representative, fraudsters might ask for account verification details, claiming it's for a routine security check. Tower will never contact you asking for account information. Never give out you're your credentials, card number, or security code. If you are not sure a call is legitimate, do not reply. Call us at 866-56-TOWER.
Healthcare Scams: With AI voice cloning, scammers could pose as doctors or healthcare providers, asking for personal medical details or payment for medical procedures that were never performed.
Subscription Renewal Scams: By pretending to be from subscription services (like magazines, streaming services, etc.), scammers could ask for credit card details for renewal purposes.
Survey and Prize Scams: Scammers could pose as researchers or representatives from well-known companies, claiming you've won a prize. To "claim" your reward, you'd be asked to provide personal or financial details.
Charity and Donation Scams: Especially after major events or disasters, scammers might imitate legitimate charitable organizations, asking for donations.
Investment Scams: Posing as financial advisors or brokers, fraudsters might offer "too good to be true" investment opportunities, urging you to act quickly.
Romance Scams: Using AI voice cloning, scammers can deepen the deception in online dating platforms by providing voice calls that align with the fake profiles they have created.
Travel and Vacation Scams: Impersonating travel agents or tour operators, scammers could offer discounted trips or vacations, asking for immediate payment.
