Having your voice cloned may sound like science fiction, but it is already a real threat

Imagine receiving a call from a friend or even a family member asking you for confidential information or telling you that they need you to make a bank transfer. Everything seems real, especially because you recognize his voice. But what if it’s not them?

While it is true that for this to really be carried out, scammers need to have real audio samples of these people – although with just three seconds they can make a good replica – the speed with which voice cloning with artificial intelligence is evolving, if the easy access to these tools is also taken into account, it is worrying.

Cases of scams using artificial intelligence they are multiplying and they go from a robbery of 51 million Australian dollars from a company in the United Arab Emirates, to attempts to deceive parents into believing that their children have been kidnapped.

“It is estimated that in the coming years this type of crime will increase, and could pose a great risk to individuals due to the complexity of identifying fraud, which over time is also likely to experience multiple improvements,” they explained in a previous interview Raquel Puebla and Itxaso Reboleiro, cyber intelligence analysts at Innotec Security Part of Accenture.

The best defense against these scams is a combination of technology, legislation and, above all, common sense

Worst of all, many people don’t even know this threat exists.. A study in the United Kingdom revealed that 46% of adults were unaware of voice cloning scams. But all is not lost.

Fighting this new form of crime requires a multifaceted approach. Education and public awareness are key. Campaigns are needed to teach people to recognize these scams and protect themselves. Biometric security technologies are also being developed that can distinguish between a real voice and a cloned one.

The problem arises when the calls, instead of occurring with a company, a hotel or, for example, the bank, occur, as mentioned before, between family or friends. What then is the solution?

In this case it seems that the “solution” lies directly with you. Taking into account that you will only have your own ears to be able to identify whether or not it is a fake call, there are certain aspects that you can take into account:

• Be suspicious if the call is from a strange number.
• Do you notice that person’s voice a little strange, lifeless or even a little robotic? Careful.
• If you don’t pause too many times when speaking, it can be a great indicator.
• In these cases, if you ask him a question, you will notice that the answer, even though it is already classified as “live”, will have a small pause before he continues speaking for about two or three seconds.
• You may also notice that there is too much of a rush for you to make a certain move on your account or give too much personal data.

With all this and summarizing, If you receive an urgent call asking for money, even if the voice sounds familiar, take a moment to check it.

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Tags: Smartphones, Artificial intelligence, Software, Cybersecurity