Alexander Konovalov
Last year, Americans lost a record $10 billion to fraud, and scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
Related: Google fights AI impostors
Searches for “AI voice fraud” on Google have increased by more than 200% in a few months. Here are some tips: do not have Fall prey to voice cloning scams.
•smile. AI has difficulty recognizing laughter, so it uses jokes to gauge the other person's reaction. If their laughter sounds real, at least there's a chance there's a human on the other end.
•Test their reactions. Say things that real people wouldn't expect to hear. For example, if a scammer uses artificial intelligence to mimic an emergency call from a relative, say something inappropriate like “Honey, I love you.” A real person would panic or get confused, but the AI would simply respond, “I love you, too.”
• Listen for anomalies. Voice cloning technology may be convincing, but it's still not perfect. Look out for unusual background noise or unexpected changes in tone that may be the result of different data used to train the AI model. Unusual pauses and audio that sounds like it was generated by ChatGPT are also clear indications that you are chatting with a machine.
•Verify your identity. Don't take a familiar voice as proof of the caller's identity, especially when discussing sensitive topics or financial transactions. Ask them to provide as many details as possible, including the name of your organization, the city you're calling from, and information that only you and the actual caller will know.
• Don't overshare. Avoid sharing unnecessary personal information online or over the phone. Alexander said scammers often pretend to be from banks or government agencies to phish for personal information. If the person on the other end seems to be snooping, hang up, find the number on the organization's official website, and call back to verify the person's legitimacy.
• Treat urgency with skepticism. Scammers often use urgency to pressure victims into taking action before they notice red flags. If you are prompted to download a file, send money, or receive information without using due diligence, proceed with caution. Take the time to verify your claims (even if you claim you don't have time).
About the essayist: Alexander Konovalov is co-founder and co-CEO of vidby AG, a Swiss SaaS company focused on speech translation solutions powered by understanding technology and AI. A Ukrainian-born serial technology entrepreneur and inventor, he holds patents in voice technology, e-commerce, and security. He is also the co-founder of YouGiver.meis a service that provides easy and secure communication through real gifts for individual users and e-commerce businesses.
March 11, 2024