Protect Yourself from AI Voice Scams

Voice impersonations of trusted family members, friends, even presidential candidates by artificial intelligence (AI) have been used to conduct fraud, an issue that’s become so widespread that the Federal Trade Commission released a consumer alert on the subject. In this, officials touched on the rise in chatbots, i.e., computer programs that simulate conversations, deepfakes, i.e., media digitally manipulated to replace a person’s likeness, and now voice clones, i.e., the use of AI and machine learning algorithms to digitally clone human voices.

Thieves who use these new technologies have convinced many into sending money or sharing sensitive data under the pretense that they are speaking to someone they know and trust. Thieves can also use your voice to scam others, open bank accounts in your name, and conduct unauthorized financial transfers. Because AI voice cloning tools are readily accessible and often free of charge, scams have grown even more difficult to detect.

What You Can Do

AAF Wealth Management and AAFCPAs advise that clients remain vigilant when it comes to the risk involved in synthetic media, which seems authentic but is actually generated by a computer to simulate human activity. We also recommend that both individual consumers and businesses alike take precautions to safeguard their assets and improve their cybersecurity profile.

Let the caller speak first. If you receive a call from an unknown number, don’t answer. If you must answer, let the caller speak first. Likewise, refrain from sharing audio clips on social media or on public platforms. Keep in mind that a scammer only needs a short clip of your voice to create a clone with AI.

Question urgent requests. If you receive a call from someone that sounds like someone you know and trust but is urgent or panicked in nature and comes with a critical request, step back and stay calm. Then end the call and contact your friend, family member, or associate directly using the contact information you have on record. Scammers frequently employ urgency to pressure their victims into acting before they can think rationally through a request.

Never disclose confidential information. Do not disclose confidential information and think twice before sending or transferring money, even if a caller claims to be someone from your bank or financial institution. Instead, hang up and contact that entity directly using the information on record or on their website.

Listen for unnatural patterns. Pay close attention to the caller’s voice and note any unnatural cadences, changes in tone, abnormal pauses, or an absence of emotion. Consider too if this sounds like the authentic vernacular that individual would use. These might be subtle clues that the voice of the caller is computer generated.

Safeguard your accounts. Because bad actors need just a clip of your voice to clone it and scam others, AAFCPAs advises that clients employ multifactor authentication as a layered approach to security. Avoid the use of voiceprints or any biometric-based signature for account access, especially given voices are one of the easiest biometrics to clone. Instead, opt for verification using a one-time text code.

Beyond this, businesses might consider reassessing their IT general controls and cybersecurity protocols to mitigate risk and safeguard their reputation. Ask yourself, does our employee training cover the risk associated with AI-generated voice scams? Are current verification protocols and communication channels robust enough to prevent unauthorized access? Do we have a system in place to monitor and analyze voice communications for anomalies or unusual patterns that might be indicative of AI-generated scams? Are we current on legal compliance issues as they relate to voice communications security?

AAFCPAs works with clients to conduct routine security audits, pinpointing gaps and potential vulnerabilities. We help to assess the information systems security and user practices, ensuring clients stay in compliance with regulations including Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA.

If you have questions, please contact Jonathan Bloom, CFP®, AIF®, Partner & Wealth Advisor at 774.512.4081 or jbloom@nullaafwealth.com, Vassilis Kontoglis, Partner, Analytics, Automation & IT Security at 774.512.4069 or vkontoglis@nullaafcpa.com—or your AAFCPAs Partner.