Scammers use AI to mimic audio: “A three-second clip is enough to fool victims” | outside

“I pick up the phone and hear my daughter’s voice: Mom!” Jennifer DiStefano told CBS earlier this week that she was crying. I said: what happened? And she said crying, Mom, I screwed up. ”

According to the mother, she then heard a man order her “daughter” to return the phone. The man demanded 900,000 euros for her freedom, but reduced the ransom to 45,000 euros. He threatened to harm the daughter unless she paid the ransom. Fortunately, the girl’s father was able to confirm her location and safety within five minutes of the scam call. But the fact that fraudsters can so easily use AI to imitate voices is terrifying.

Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor of computer science at Arizona State University, stated in an interview last month that “in the past, simulated voice technology required advanced surgery. Now petty scammers can use it.”

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a warning last month about the emerging scam. “Artificial intelligence is no longer an idea straight out of a sci-fi movie. We live with it, right here and now,” the FTC said in its consumer alert, adding that all a fraudster now needs is a “short audio clip” of someone’s voice to mimic their tone and inflections. This source material can often be easily obtained through social media.According to Kambamati, the clip can be up to three seconds long, but is convincing enough to fool unsuspecting victims.

To guard against a new scammer’s ploy, the Federal Trade Commission advises viewing calls skeptically. Scammers often call from unknown phone numbers. It is therefore important to contact the potential victim as soon as possible. Scammers often request payments via cryptocurrency, gift cards, or bank transfers.