Millions of people could be caught up in a little-known AI voice-impersonation scam, with a major bank warning that 28% of Britons have already fallen victim to the scam

A sinister voice cloning scam is on the rise and millions of people could be at risk of being caught.

Scammers use artificial intelligence technology to replicate the voices of their anonymous victims’ friends or family members and use them to extort money.

More than a quarter of people say they have been targeted by AI voice cloning scams at least once in the past year, a survey of 3,000 people by Starling Bank shows.

However, almost half of people have never heard of this type of scam.

Financial fraud in general is increasing: the average UK adult has been the victim of a scam five times in the past 12 months.

But AI is giving criminals new ways to target people for money.

What is AI Voice Cloning Scam and How Does It Work?

An AI voice cloning scam is a sophisticated type of scam where scammers use voice cloning technology to replicate a person’s voice from a short audio clip.

Scammers can capture and create fake audio cheaply and easily online in just a few minutes.

Deepfakes are audio clips, videos and photographs that imitate a real person.

Audio clips used in AI voice cloning scams can easily be captured from a video someone has uploaded online or to social media or even from a voicemail message.

Lisa Grahame, head of cyber security at Starling Bank, said: “Fraudsters only need three seconds of audio to clone your voice.”

Scammers can then identify their victims’ relatives and use the cloned voice to simulate a phone call, voice message or voicemail, asking them for money they urgently need, for example due to an accident or to pay rent.

Starling Bank found that almost one in 10 people say they would send whatever the caller needed in this situation, even if they thought the call seemed strange, meaning millions of people could be at risk of falling victim to this scam.

How to spot and avoid voice cloning scams with AI

Only three in 10 people say they would know what to look out for if they were targeted by a voice cloning scam.

Voice cloning can be very convincing because it uses the voice of someone familiar, but scammers can manipulate them with technology to make them say whatever they want.

You should be on the lookout for any unnatural pauses or robotic-sounding speech if you are asked to send money to someone claiming to be a friend or family member who needs money over the phone.

One of the main ways to avoid falling for this scam is to agree with your family on a password that is easy to remember and is not public information.

That way, when a family member calls you with an urgent request for money, you can ask for the password. If they can’t give it to you, it could be a warning that there’s a scammer on the other end of the line.

In response to the rise in AI voice cloning scams, Starling Bank has launched a Safe Phrases campaign, in support of the government’s anti-fraud drive.

People are encouraged to agree on a “safe phrase” or password with close friends and family that no one else knows, to allow them to verify that they are really speaking to them when they call asking to send them money.

Lisa Grahame adds: ‘People regularly post content online containing recordings of their voice, never realising that this makes them more vulnerable to scammers.

‘It would only take a few minutes with your family and friends to create a safe phrase to thwart them.

‘That’s why it’s more important than ever for people to be aware of these types of scams perpetrated by fraudsters and know how to protect themselves and their loved ones from falling victim.

‘It’s a quick and easy way to ensure you can check who is on the other end of the phone.’