As technology evolves, so do scammers – and now, AI-generated voices are making it harder to tell if a phone call is a scam or not. The FBI reported that Americans lost more than $893 million to AI-related scams last year, including voice cloning attacks, phishing emails and other hoaxes. Voice cloning is a technique where scammers replicate audio of a person’s voice using AI.

Scammers only need a few seconds of audio to send AI-generated calls, voicemails or voice messages to consumers, usually with the aim of getting money.

The fake messages usually leverage urgency or distress to manipulate the recipient into doing something. They often impersonate a friend or family member and say they’re in trouble and need money right away. The familiar voice makes these scams convincing.

If you’re not sure if a message or phone call is real, remember that it is always okay to take a minute to double check – even if the person on the other end is saying that it’s an emergency. Hang up and call the person directly using a number you know and trust to confirm if they actually tried to contact you.

How can I tell if a call is AI-generated?

• Double check the source. If you get an unusual, urgent or emotional voice message, call the person you think it is directly (or have someone else call them) to double check if it was them. Check the caller ID on voicemails, but remember that caller ID can be spoofed.
• Stop and think before you react. If you’re scared or taken off guard, you may be less likely to notice the details of a scam call. Here are some common red flags:
  • Pressure to act as quickly as possible, so you don’t have time to think
  • Trying to convince you not to tell anyone else what’s happening
  • Asking you to send large amounts of money via cryptocurrency, payment apps, gift cards or another unusual, hard-to-trace method
• Have a “safe word” for calls. Pick a unique word for you and your family to use on the phone if you’re in trouble. Keep this word private. If you receive an urgent phone call that seems to be from a family member and they don’t use the word, hang up and call them directly.
• Trust your gut. If you receive a strange call or voicemail, ask a friend or loved one for a second opinion, or check BBB.org for information about common scams.
• Reduce solicitations. Registering all unsolicited phone numbers on the “Do Not Call” registry may help reduce the chance that scammers will call your phone number in the first place. You may wish to change your phone number if you frequently receive spam calls.
• Limit where you post your voice online. Remember that very little audio is needed to imitate a person’s voice with AI. It's easy for scammers to find audio on the internet. You may want to consider limiting where you share audio of your voice publicly or setting your social media profiles to private.
• Report AI calls. Per the FCC, AI voice calls are illegal unless you have explicitly agreed to receive them or the caller is exempt. If you think you’ve received an AI voice call, report it to the FCC and to BBB Scam Tracker to help protect others.