Scammers are using advanced artificial intelligence technology to mimic the voices of your friends and family (AI voice generators). See what you need to know to protect yourself from this scam.
Imagine receiving a call that your loved one is in danger. Right now, you would probably want to do whatever it takes to help them get out of danger – even send them money if asked.
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Scammers know this Achilles' heel and are now using artificial intelligence to exploit it.
Ruth and Greg Card, an elderly couple, tragically became targets of phone fraud, as reported by the Washington Post.
When 73-year-old Ruth received a phone call from someone claiming to be her grandson, who informed her that he had been left in jail without a mobile phone or money. Concerned for their grandson's safety, both Ruth and her husband (75) hurried to the bank in order to give him the necessary money.
After they visited the second bank, the manager warned them that they had encountered a similar case in the past, which had resulted in being deceived. Most likely, it was another scam.
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Unfortunately, this scam is not at all an unusual phenomenon. The FTC report states that in 2022, impersonation scams were the second most common criminal offense in America with more than 36,000 victims. Of those cases, 5,100 occurred via phone calls and resulted in over $11 million being stolen from unsuspecting individuals.
Creative AI is rapidly gaining ground due to the introduction of game-changing programs like ChatGPT ’s OpenAI and DALL-E. These tools not only showcase progressive capabilities that can boost user productivity , but they have also become a hot topic among tech enthusiasts everywhere .
However, the same approaches used to cultivate these useful language models can be employed for malicious purposes, such as training malicious AI voice generators.
Many of these tools operate within seconds and can produce a sound that is essentially indistinguishable from the original source.
What can you do to protect yourself
To protect yourself from these types of scams, it's important to be aware that they exist. Taking this first step will help you avoid unknowingly becoming a victim of these types of fraudulent calls.
If you receive a phone call from someone close to your heart, take the time to make sure it's really them. It could be an automated machine trying to scam , and the verification effort can help you guarantee its reality.
Don't be afraid to ask the caller a personal question that only your loved one would know.
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Also, to ensure your loved one's safety, call them or send them a message.
Information source: zdnet.com
