When a Maryland woman received a call from her father, there was no doubt in her mind it was him. She told the News4 I-Team caller ID identified his phone number and his picture popped up on the screen.
Relli, who asked News4 not to use her last name, said she heard her father say, “Hello.” What she heard next had her reeling with terror.
“This sound, like he's like choking or being punched or something, but it was 1,000% his voice,” she said. “So, my heart just drops immediately because I'm scared that my dad's calling me out of distress.”
Seconds later, she said another voice got on the phone and started making demands, telling her he had a gun to her dad’s head. She said the person told her he would “blow out his brains” if she didn’t wire money to him.
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“So, immediately I'm like, ‘Yeah, whatever. Like, what do you want? What do you need?’” Relli said. “This is my dad and, and I hear the struggling kind of still in the background of his voice. And like I said, there is not a doubt in my mind it's his voice.”
The caller was so convincing that Relli followed his orders and sent money through a cash payment app using a phone number he gave her. While all of this was going on, Relli’s boyfriend quickly called her family to ask about her dad’s whereabouts. Fortunately, they confirmed he was safe at home. But Relli’s money was gone.
The News4 I-Team does not know for sure whether Relli’s dad’s voice was actually cloned, but James Lee with the Identity Theft Resource Center said he’s heard of this exact scam before and the technology to do it is readily available.
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“This is one of those areas where technology has gotten ahead of our ability to understand the unintended consequences,” said Lee.
In March, the Federal Trade Commission sent out a consumer alert warning people how scammers are now using artificial intelligence to enhance their family emergency schemes, also known as “grandparent scams.” According to the FTC, all scammers need is a short audio clip of a family member’s voice, which they could get from content posted online, and use a voice cloning program.
How Voice Cloning Works
It took just a few quick searches online to find numerous voice-cloning websites. To see how this technology works, the I-Team set up a free account with Resemble AI, a voice-cloning platform. Susan Hogan had to first record a verbal consent, which was also used to capture her voice. Once that clip was uploaded, the I-Team was able to type anything for the AI voice to say.
There are legitimate uses for this technology, such as personalizing customer service experiences by using a recognizable voice of a popular actor. Voice cloning can also be used for chatbots. Zohaib Ahmed, founder and CEO of Resemble AI, said his company, unlike other voice cloning platforms, have safeguards in place to prevent abuse.
"We have to be very careful deploying these models out and how they’re being accessed. We also have to be aware that these models are going to be used by everybody,” said Ahmed.
Lee warns people who overshare on social media could be a target for those scammers taking advantage of this technology.
“It can be anybody with just as little as three seconds of audio,” Lee said. “You can create a deepfake that’s going to sound just like you.”
He suggests only allowing people you know to follow you.
“Keep it to only the people that you know and trust because that way you don’t have to worry about somebody taking that Instagram reel or that TikTok video and pulling the audio off of that and creating your voice that they can use to impersonate you,” he said.
In the end Relli, sent $500 to the scammer. She said while it wasn’t a huge financial loss, it was the emotional toll that was overwhelming.
“Like, my dad is OK, but it doesn't take away from the fact that it was so incredibly traumatic and scary,” she said.
Relli said the other frustrating part is that she wasn’t able to get her money back since the bank said she authorized the transaction. Another reason she’s speaking out so it doesn’t happen to others.
If you get one of these calls, the FTC said:
- Don’t trust the voice on the call.
- Call the person who supposedly contacted you and verify the situation.
- If you can’t reach them, contact them through other family or friends.
If you spot a scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Reported by Susan Hogan, produced by Rick Yarborough, shot by Steve Jones and Jeff Piper, and edited by Steve Jones. Katie Leslie also contributed to this report.
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