Uses AI to copy a voice or face
AI voice clone and deepfake scam
Could a call or video that sounds like someone I know be an AI fake?
Yes. Scammers can copy voices, faces and famous people to rush you. Check by calling back on a known number and never send money or codes because of a call.
Sometimes real, often faked. Do not use their link or number. Look it up yourself.
Also searched as: voice cloning, cloned voice, deepfake video, AI voice of a relative, fake video call
Draft: we're still checking this page. The quotes below are word for word from their sources.
What to do
On the phone right now?
- Stop. Hang up or close the message. Don't tap anything.
- Check. Call a number you already have, like the one on your card or bill.
- Talk to someone you trust before you pay anyone.
If anyone is in danger right now, call 911.
If you already paid
- Call the company you paid through right away: your bank, card company, gift card company, or the wire or Zelle service. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment.
- Call the Justice Department's National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.
- Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If it happened online, report it at IC3.gov too.
General information, not legal or financial advice. If you've lost money, contact your bank and report it.
How it works
1 They reach you by
- Phone call
- Video call
- Text message
- Social media
- Website
2 They pretend to be
- A family member
- Your bank
- Investment expert
- A new love or friend
- Tech support
- Police or government
3 They ask for
- Money
- Gift cards
- Crypto
- Wire or Zelle
- Personal details
- A code sent to you
- Secrecy
- Tap a link
What it can look like
Example pattern, not a real message
Uses AI to copy a voice or face. What gives it away:
- Pay with gift cards
- Pay with crypto
- Keep it a secret
What they may say
“But you can help by sending money”
“It's your grandson”
Warning signs
- They tell you to buy gift cards and read them the numbers. No real agency or company asks to be paid that way.
- They want payment in cryptocurrency, or tell you to use a Bitcoin machine. That money is very hard to get back.
- They tell you not to tell your family or your bank. That keeps you from getting help.
- They ask you to read back a code that was texted to you. Anyone with that code can get into your account.
- They push you to send a wire transfer or Zelle payment. That money is very hard to get back.
- They contacted you, then ask for your Social Security, Medicare or bank numbers.
- They want you to use their link or their phone number. Look up the real website or number yourself.
- They say you must pay right now or something bad will happen. Real organizations give you time to check.
Why we say this
Deepfakes and Vishing: What You Need to Know to Stay Protected
Scammers use AI to copy the voice or face of a family member, a celebrity, or an investment professional. They call or post videos to rush you into sending money or sharing passwords and codes. FINRA lists warning signs and how to check who is really calling.
Videos and calls like these might look and sound real, but they might actually be scams using deepfakes and vishing, two rapidly evolving cyber threats facing investors today.
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The impersonator might then urge immediate payment via wire transfer, payment app, gift cards or cryptocurrency, all payment methods that make recovering your money difficult. They’ll also likely ask you to keep the “emergency”—and the payment—secret from other family members.
If a request involves money, account or device credentials/access, or sensitive information, always verify through a different, trusted channel.
If contacted by phone, hang up and call back using trusted numbers.
Be skeptical of urgent calls from banks, schools or “family in trouble.”
Establish family code words to verify one another during emergencies.
Statement of Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, Implications of Artificial Intelligence Technologies on Protecting Consumers from Unwanted Robocalls and Robotexts (FCC 24-17)
A California mother lost $5,400 after a caller used an AI-cloned voice of her adult daughter to claim she had been kidnapped, and kept her on the phone for hours. The article warns that scammers can build these fake voices from a few social media videos, so a familiar voice on the phone no longer proves who is calling.
parents have been scared half to death hearing their child's voice on the other end of the line, saying they've been kidnapped, or need money to get out of trouble.
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In actuality, their children are safe and unaware of the chaos.
Bad actors are using voice cloning – a generative AI technology that uses a recording of a human voice to generate speech sounding like that voice
Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes
This opinion column warns that AI voice cloning lets criminals sound like people you trust, including in a fake jailhouse emergency involving a relative. It also says the same tactic threatens businesses and Florida elections, and that the defence is to stop and verify before sending money.
It's your grandson. He says he's in deep trouble — he wrecked the car and landed in jail. But you can help by sending money.
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A scammer could use AI to clone the voice of your loved one. All he needs is a short audio clip of your family member's voice — which he could get from content posted online — and a voice-cloning program.
Don't trust the voice. Call the person who supposedly contacted you and verify the story. Use a phone number you know is theirs.
U.S. Postal Inspectors Warn Customers to Avoid Scams that Use Artificial Intelligence
Scammers now use AI to fake photos, voices and videos. This makes romance, investment, crypto, tech-support and fake family emergency scams look real. The warning lists signs of AI scams. It says to delete any offer that rushes you or asks for money.
Scammers are using AI-generated photos and voice clones that mimic a real person to build relationships with unsuspecting victims to ultimately get money and steal personal information.
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AI content can make romance and investment scams, cryptocurrency scams, scams claiming to be tech support, and even fake emergency requests from friends and family feel legitimate and believable.
Do they want to communicate using WhatsApp, Telegram, or a separate private email address so platform security protections won’t apply.
Lip sync timing may be off, weird lighting/jerky motion, or a voice that does not quite match the person you know.
The Postal Inspection Service advises consumers to simply ignore and delete any offers that demand a “quick decision” or ask you to send money, whether it is via cash, money transfer, or gift card.
What Are AI Scams? A Guide for Older Adults
Scammers now use AI to copy a loved one's voice, make fake videos and photos, and write very believable emails and websites. A common version is a fake grandchild call asking for bail money. NCOA suggests a family code word and calling back on a known number.
AI can now clone a person's voice using just a short audio sample, making it possible for scammers to impersonate authority figures and even your loved ones.
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Often, the caller says they’ve been arrested and requests immediate funds for “bail.”
Another tactic is to create a family "code word" that can be used to verify each other's identity during a call that seems suspicious.
The scammers then pretend they've kidnapped someone and send these altered photos or videos to family members while demanding ransom money.
Be suspicious if someone asks for payment in gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers.
Always double-check the legitimacy of a request or message—especially if you receive it unexpectedly or it seems unusual.
Call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311)
Teaching seniors to spot scams
A local college student gives talks to seniors about AI-driven scams, including voice clones and deepfake videos that are increasingly hard to detect. The article offers practical habits, such as agreeing on verification steps with family and not trusting too-good-to-be-true celebrity investment pitches.
AI has improved to the point that voice cloning and deepfake videos can be hard to spot.
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If you are speaking to someone who claims to be family or a close friend, have a plan in place to prove it really is them. Slow the conversation down and ask questions that only the person they are claiming to be would know.
If you come across a deepfake of a celebrity who has an investment opportunity that sounds like it is too good to be true, it most likely is. Don’t do anything rash.
Scammers try to rush you. If they scare you in the moment, you might give them information they can use.
Mark Cuban Says Facebook Is Letting Con Artists Use His Face To Target Seniors
Scammers are running Facebook ads that use AI-generated copies of Mark Cuban's face and voice to sell a fake $294 diabetes cure, and Cuban says older people have already paid for it. The article advises treating celebrity endorsements in social feeds as unverified until you check them independently.
You see a familiar billionaire promoting a breakthrough diabetes treatment on Facebook.
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Cuban said scammers are creating AI-generated versions of him to promote products he hasn't endorsed.
Cuban also described advertisements containing fine print acknowledging that the person shown is AI-generated and that the content is intended for entertainment.
Start by treating celebrity endorsements in social media feeds as unverified until you independently confirm them.
Be especially cautious with medical products promising miracle results.
She Heard Her Daughter Crying on the Phone. It Was an AI Clone, and It Cost Her $5,400
A California mother lost $5,400 after a caller used an AI-cloned voice of her adult daughter to claim she had been kidnapped, and kept her on the phone for hours. The article warns that scammers can build these fake voices from a few social media videos, so a familiar voice on the phone no longer proves who is calling.
The voice on the phone sounded exactly like Deborah Del Mastro’s adult daughter. She was crying, terrified and begging for help. Then a man came on the line and said he had kidnapped her.
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Scammers feed recordings of a person into a voice generator, and social media gives them plenty to work with.
Hang up and call the person directly. Staying on the line only gives trained scam operators more time to manipulate you.
If a caller says a loved one has been arrested, injured or kidnapped, hang up and call that person yourself. If they don’t pick up, call another relative or someone who can confirm where they are.
Demands for cryptocurrency, wire transfers or cash are a red flag, especially when coupled with orders not to tell anyone.