According to a report in The Hindu, the Cyber Crime Cell of the Tamil Nadu Police has issued an advisory warning the public against scammers who use artificial intelligence-based voice cloning technology to scam people over the phone. .
What are the methods of scammers?
According to a press note shared with MediaNama by the Tennessee State Police Cyber Division, scammers are now using AI-based techniques to impersonate family members or acquaintances of the victim on the phone and send money under the guise of an emergency. It is said that he is trying to trick her into doing so. Importantly, police say scammers obtain voice samples of individuals from social media posts and videos, or by speaking to individuals using the “wrong number” method. The voice sample is then used to clone that person's voice using AI software and target that person's family members.
“This technology allows us to convincingly imitate the voice, intonation, and emotional nuances of a victim’s trusted contacts. In short, it leverages AI-generated voice cloning. and commit cyber crimes,” the advisory adds.
Additionally, police observed that scammers usually ask victims to use fast payment methods such as the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system for quick transactions. Given the sense of urgency and fear that criminals feel, victims often send money without conducting background checks to verify that they really know the other party.
“Scammers use a variety of tactics to cause a sense of urgency and emotional distress in their victims. They use sobbing and pleading tones, claiming to be in dire situations that require immediate help “Behind the scenes, fraudsters use sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) software to replicate the voice of the person they are impersonating,” police explained.
This advisory calls on citizens to:
- To be aware of such scams,
- Be wary of unexpected requests for money
- Ask probing questions to callers from unknown numbers,
- If you are requesting emergency financial assistance, verify the person's identity.
- Use secure communication channels, such as encrypted messaging apps and video calls, to verify the identity of callers before conducting sensitive conversations or transactions.
- Report such incidents to Cybercrime toll-free number 1930 or register a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in.
What is AI Voice Clone?
Voice cloning is basically the duplication of a person's voice and can be done in two ways: text-to-speech (TTS) and speech-to-text. According to Romit Barua, a machine learning engineer and researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, “Voice cloning involves using technology to analyze a short recording of someone's voice, and then using that analysis to reconstruct the original story. ” This process leverages computer algorithms to capture the unique characteristics of the voice, such as tone, pitch, and rhythm. Once the system understands these elements, it can duplicate them to create new audio content that sounds as if the original person was saying something completely new. This is similar to creating a digital voice twin that can speak on behalf of the original person. ” This means that once a scammer finds a sample voice of that person, the technology exists to replicate that voice with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Read journalist Zoya Hussain's detailed account of the use of voice cloning technology by cybercriminals on MediaNama.
“AI audio fakes are cheap to create”
In an earlier report on voice cloning, Rakshit Tandon, cybersecurity expert and consultant at Internet Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), said in an interview with MediaNama that AI-based voice clones are easier to create than deepfakes. It emphasized that it was “easy and cheap.” Video and audio fakes have fewer contextual clues that can be detected by the naked eye. He added that these voice clones are more likely to spread misinformation in an election year. The report explains that voice cloning is being used to carry out several “personalization scams” to extract money and sensitive information, and that such scams are on the rise, especially in India.
In another report for MediaNama, journalist Zoya Hussain says a McAfee study reveals that 66% of respondents from India are more likely to respond to a voice or phone call asking for urgent financial assistance. I told you that it happened. People are more likely to fall victim to a scam involving AI voice cloning, especially if the caller appears to be a close relative such as a parent (46%)), spouse (34%), or child (12%). It's getting easier. The report also highlighted that 86% of Indian girlfriends tend to share voice data online or through voice messages at least once a week, increasing the effectiveness of these tools. Read the full report here.
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