- What is an AI voice cloning scam?
An AI voice cloning scam is a type of scam in which criminals use artificial intelligence to create a convincing replica of someone’s voice. This can be done with as little as three seconds of audio. The criminal then uses the cloned voice to make phone calls, send text messages, or create other types of communications that appear to be from the victim.
- How does an AI voice cloning scam work?
There are a number of different ways that AI voice cloning scams can work. In one common scenario, the criminal will create a fake voicemail or text message that appears to be from the victim. The message will often contain a request for money or other sensitive information. If the victim falls for the scam, they may provide the criminal with the information they need to steal their identity or commit other crimes.
- How can I protect myself from an AI voice cloning scam?
There are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from an AI voice cloning scam. Here are a few tips:
- Be suspicious of any phone calls or text messages that appear to be from someone you know.
- If you receive a call or text message from someone you know, but the voice doesn’t sound right, don’t answer it. Instead, call the person back using a number you know is theirs.
- Never give out personal information, such as your Social Security number or bank account number, to someone you don’t know.
- If someone asks for this information, hang up the phone or stop responding to the text message.
- Be careful about what information you share online.
- Criminals can use information you share online, such as your voice, to create convincing clones of your voice.
- What should I do if I think I’ve been the victim of an AI voice cloning scam?
If you think you’ve been the victim of an AI voice cloning scam, there are a few things you should do:
- Report the scam to the Cyber Crime.
- The Cyber Crime can help investigate the scam and take steps to prevent other people from being victimized.
- Place a fraud alert on your credit report.
- This will make it more difficult for criminals to open new accounts in your name.
- Monitor your credit report for any unauthorized activity.
- If you see any suspicious activity, report it to the credit bureaus immediately.
As the Artificial Intelligence (AI) cloning scams are creating ripples across the country, however, no such case has so far been reported from J&K even as Cyber Police Kashmir has urged people not to fall prey to the scammers.
On the other hand, like other parts of the country, J&K is seeing a surge in telephonic and online scams by adapting innovative ways. AI technology is fueling a rise in online voice scams, with just three seconds of audio required to clone a person’s voice.
Also, AI brings incredible opportunities, but with any technology there is always the potential for it to be used maliciously in the wrong hands. “So far no such case has been brought into our notice,” Superintendent of Police, Cyber Police, Kashmir, Iftikhar Talib told KIF. “We are carrying out mass awareness about cyber crime in schools, public places, and other institutions.”
He said that to deal with online scams, Cyber Police was keeping an eye but scammers were adopting innovative ways to steal money from victims and the latest one was AI voice cloning scam.
“There is no doubt J&K too, like other parts of the country, has been seeing a surge in telephonic and online scams,” Talib said. “Scammers also keep adopting innovative ways to steal money from victims.”
With the rise in popularity and adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, it is now easier to manipulate images, videos, and voices of friends and family members. Earlier this year, it was reported that cyber criminals were using AI-powered voices to target people.
According to a news report, India tops the list of victims and 83 percent of Indians have lost money in these types of scams. Officials said that scammers are using AI to sound like family members in distress and people are falling for such scams.
According to a recent report by McAfee, more than half (69 percent) of Indians think they do not know or cannot tell the difference between an AI voice and real voice. Since a significant number of people fall into the trap of these criminals, it is becoming more essential to make them aware of the pitfalls.
There are fake job scams where scammers typically generate bogus job advertisements on employment sites or social media. The job postings are frequently for highly lucrative positions with less experience. The fraudsters get in touch with people after they apply for the jobs and demand money for further progress.
In some cases, scammers pose as government officials and offer people grants or new schemes. The fraudsters often use social media, emails, calls, or text messages to target their victims.
Once they successfully gain a victim’s trust, they ask for personal information or money to “process” the grant. Recently, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) issued a fact-check warning against a fake government scheme circulating online.
The bogus post claims that the government was offering free laptops to students and unemployed youth. PIB has advised people to beware of such fake schemes and not to share their personal information with anyone who claims to be from the government.
General Awareness
Awareness of cyber security best practices is the most important factor in the present digital world to keep away from various types of cyber frauds. Frauds on account of phishing attacks, card related frauds etc. are increasing day by day. As part of our continuous effort towards this direction, we give below certain cyber security tips which you can follow while dealing with various digital activities.
- Beware of suspicious emails/SMS from unknown sources. Do not click on links or download attachments from such sources.
- Do not reply/forward the mail/SMS in case it is found suspicious.
- Beware and cautious of unsolicited emails that demand immediate action.
- Do not provide personal/financial details like username, password, Aadhaar number, OTP, Debit/Credit card details (PIN / CVV etc) over email/phone to anybody. Your Bank never ask such details from you through email/phone.
- Malicious websites may look identical to the legitimate website. Pay attention to the URL of the website before clicking / providing details. Check the URL by placing/hovering mouse pointer on the link provided in the mail to identify the actual website/URL where the link is pointed.
- Be cautious of pop-ups, do not blindly click on pop-ups
- Don’t enable Auto-connect to open Wi-Fi networks
- Use only the genuine contact numbers available in Bank’s official site/pages and not to depend on any other websites/pages for the contact numbers of the Bank/branches/Call centre.
- Register for SMS/E-mail alerts with your Bank to stay up to date with all your account/card transactions
- Limit the amount of personal information you share online
- Avoid storing your card details on the shopping website/App.
- Always keep your device updated, locked and protected with a strong password.
