AI voice scams become more convincing, experts warn - Spectrum News

CINCINNATI — Artificial intelligence is making it easier than ever for scammers to imitate the voices of family members, friends and other trusted individuals.

Researchers say just a few seconds of audio can be enough to clone a person’s voice, creating convincing scams designed to pressure victims into sending money or sharing personal information.

Kimberly Hyun, PhD., an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Cincinnati, studies how voices influence persuasion. Her research found people are naturally more likely to trust voices that sound familiar, even when they don’t consciously recognize why.

“It’s actually more creepy and scary than faces,” Hyun said. “Because faces you immediately know, but voices are so subtle. It actually influences you in very subconscious ways.”

Hyun’s research focuses on vocal familiarity and how people respond to voices that resemble those they know and trust. She said that instinct can become dangerous when voice-cloning technology is used by scammers.

“That’s the sort of the risky and dangerous part,” Hyun said. “Where they would have your voice information that got leaked from some source and then they would be able to utilize and match it.”

According to the Federal Trade Commission, imposter scams remain one of the nation’s most common forms of fraud. While the Better Business Bureau has not received reports of AI voice-cloning scams in Greater Cincinnati, the organization’s Scam Tracker shows similar scams are occurring across the country.

“Anything that’s wanting you to act immediately is a big red flag,” said Christine Hayley, vice president of operations for the Cincinnati Better Business Bureau. “You want to stop. You want to think, and you want to verify.”

The Better Business Bureau recommends hanging up and calling your loved one directly using a trusted phone number before sending money or sharing personal information. Anyone who believes they have been targeted should also report the incident to local law enforcement and the BBB Scam Tracker.

“If you’ve gotten a call, you can go to BBB.org Scam Tracker and see, ‘Has anybody else reported this? What was their situation? How is it similar to mine?’” Hayley said.

Hyun also recommends creating a family “safe code” that can be used to verify emergencies involving money or urgent requests.

“Your grandma calls and asks for money,” Hyun said. “Just be aware that it might be an AI doing it.”