How do I spot an AI voice scam?

Picture the phone ringing late at night. It's your grandson, or your daughter, and they're upset. They've been in an accident, or they're in trouble with the police, and they need money right away. Please don't tell anyone, they say. And the voice sounds exactly like them. This is one of the oldest tricks there is, called the family emergency scam, and artificial intelligence (AI) has given it a new tool.

Voice-cloning tools learn the sound of a person's voice from recordings, and can then say anything in that voice. Some need only a short clip, the kind that's easy to find in a video someone posted online. The same technology does good things, like reading audiobooks, or helping people who are losing their speech keep a version of their own voice. But scammers use it too, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that a cloned voice can make a fake emergency call far more convincing.¹²⁶⁷

You probably can't tell a good clone just by listening, so don't try to win that contest. Listen to the story instead. Government warnings describe the same pattern again and again:

• It's an emergency, and it has to be fixed right now.
• You're asked to keep it secret.
• You're asked to pay in a way that's hard to undo, like a wire transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or cash handed to someone who comes to your door.

Any one of those is a reason to slow down. All three together is the scam's signature.¹²³⁷

The fix is simple, and it works. Hang up, then call the person back on a number you already know is theirs. If you can't reach them, call someone else in the family who would know. A real emergency will still be real in five minutes. A scam usually falls apart the moment you check.²

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) suggests one more step. Agree on a secret word or phrase with your family, something that isn't posted anywhere online. If a caller can't give it, you have your answer. It takes two minutes at the dinner table, and it works even when the voice is perfect.⁴

If someone does get caught, it isn't a sign of being foolish. These scams are built by professionals to work on loving, careful people. Report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud dot F T C dot gov, and contact your bank or the payment company right away, because acting fast sometimes helps.²⁴

If you do one thing after this, choose a family password with the people who would get the call. It takes two minutes, and it still works when the voice is perfect.