New Disturbing AI Scam Utilizing Real Voices of Children and People
Rising phone scams with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming even more destructive. Scammers are employing AI-generated voices of real children and individuals to deceive people into giving away their money, as reported by Insider.
New technologies are making fraud perpetrated by impostors even more detrimental. FTC Chair Lina Khan warned that AI is being used to amplify fraud through voice cloning: scammers have started using AI for "family emergency" schemes, where they convince individuals that their family members are in distress, in order to obtain cash or personal information, according to Bloomberg.
A McAfee report revealed that in some cases, scammers only need three seconds of audio to clone someone's voice. With the help of social media, it is easy to find snippets of someone's voice, which can then be weaponized.
Steve Grobman, McAfee's Chief Technology Officer, stated that cybercriminals can utilize generative AI for forged voices and deep fakes in ways that previously required much more sophistication. He added that cybercriminals are akin to businessmen, seeking the most efficient means of profit.
In April, local news station Arizona's Family reported that a scammer attempted to extort a $1 million ransom after cloning the voice of a 15-year-old girl, pretending to have kidnapped her.
The Washington Post previously reported that a Canadian couple was swindled out of $21,000 after hearing an AI-generated voice that sounded like their son.
Lawmakers are currently preparing to implement regulations governing AI, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called for increased AI oversight during a Congressional hearing last month.
Lina Khan added that some existing laws are already applicable to the industry. "There are no AI exceptions to the laws that prohibit discrimination," she stated in a comment to Bloomberg. She emphasized the need to ensure compliance by businesses with these laws, such as preventing dominant companies from stifling promising new innovations.
The FTC Chair warned that regulators worldwide have struggled to intervene, as the Internet rapidly expanded without proper oversight in the early 2000s.