NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Imagine getting a call from a loved one terrified, desperate, begging for help. But what if that voice wasn't real? Scammers have now found a way to use AI to steal your money.
Police have shared with me how grandparents are getting scammed after getting a phone call supposedly from a grandchild who needs help and money. But it's not really a grandchild calling. It's a scammer.
There are powerful AI voice-cloning apps now that can steal voices or mimic someone you trust and use them to pull off convincing scams.
Deepfake technology is getting more convincing every day. And Ben Colman, the head of a deepfake detection company, says it’s the number one digital risk people should be worried about.
So, what exactly is a deepfake, and how does it work?
A deepfake is taking anyone's likeness, whether it's their face, a single image from LinkedIn or online, or a few seconds of audio, and using a pre-trained model, replicating their likeness to make them say or do anything you want," said Colman.
These deepfakes are so advanced it’s even hard for experts to tell the difference. What’s worse—there are no federal laws to stop someone from cloning your voice without your permission.
Consumer Reports reviewed six popular voice cloning apps—uncovering a troubling trend.
“So, four of the six apps had no meaningful way to ensure that the user had the original speaker's consent to voice clone them," said Derek Kravitz. "And the two other apps were better, had more safeguards, but we found ways around them.”
While it’s practically impossible to erase your digital footprint, Consumer Reports says there are
some steps you can take to protect yourself:
“The first thing is just knowing that deep fake scams like this exist. The second thing is using two-factor authentication on all of your financial accounts," explained Kravitz. "That means having an extra security feature on your smartphone device that requires you to input a security code or respond to an email when trying to gain access to your bank accounts. And then the third thing is just being wary of calls, any type of texts or any type of emails that are asking you for your personal financial information or just personal data.”
And finally, do a gut check. Does what you’re hearing or seeing make sense?
By default, you should not believe anything you see online. You should always follow just standard common sense.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at jennifer.kraus@newschannel5.com.
The line ''see something, say something" took on new meaning recently in Bowling Green. Two alert neighbors helped tip police to stolen Corvettes from the nearby assembly plant. That led law enforcement to find 8 stolen Corvettes worth over $1 million. We may all be able to learn a little lesson from this.
-Lelan Statom
