--- title: "FTC Warns That Scammers Are Cloning Your Relatives’ Voice To Steal Your Money" description: "The US Federal Trade Commission published a consumer alert warning the public of voice cloning scams, which seem to be on the rise." date: "2023-03-26" modified: "2023-03-26" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ftc-scammers-cloning-voice" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "generative ai" - "the digest" - "voice cloning" --- # FTC Warns That Scammers Are Cloning Your Relatives’ Voice To Steal Your Money ![The US Federal Trade Commission published a consumer alert warning the public of voice cloning scams, which seem to be on the rise.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Clone Con Anecdotal accounts were already abound of people losing money to scammers cloning the voices of their relatives. Now, it's apparently become enough of a prevalent — and serious — issue that federal regulators feel the need to step in. On Monday, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) [published a consumer alert]() on emerging voice cloning scams, warning people that their desperate friend or relative on the other end of the phone asking for money may actually be an AI simulacrum of their voice wielded by a scammer. "All \[a scammer\] 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," the FTC wrote. "When the scammer calls you, he'll sound just like your loved one." ## Grandma Grifter On Futurism, we've talked about how these [voice cloning scams have recently targeted ]()senior citizens. In one case, the ostensible voice of a grandkid asked their grandma for bail money. In another scam, a caller claimed to be a lawyer representing an elderly couple's son, who then allowed the son to "speak" to the parents, asking them to send BitCoin to cover legal fees. As you might've guessed, both proved to be nothing more than nefarious voice cloning. Geriatrics in Canada appear to be a particularly vulnerable demographic, with [CBC news reporting]() that at least eight senior citizens were targeted by these voice cloning scams in just a three day window, making away with a total $200,000 CAD. ## No One's Safe Voice cloning scans have existed for years now, used in several high profile, [corporate swindles](). But it's only until recently that these scams have begun to target the average Joe, thanks to the rise of cheap and easy to use generative AIs available to consumers. "Before, it required a sophisticated operation," Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor of computer science at Arizona State University and an expert in AI, [told NPR](). "Now small-time crooks can use it." Notably, an AI voice synthesis tool provided by ElevenLabs [has come under the spotlight](), both for its ability to [impersonate presidents and celebrities](), and to [break into bank accounts](). Using it requires little to no technical expertise, making it easier than ever to clone someone's voice as long as a scammer has samples of it, which can easily be gleaned from social media. To protect yourself from these scams, the FTC recommends reaching out to the supposed relative by using a phone number you know belongs to them. And watch out if their voice asks you to send money through hard to trace means, like cryptocurrency, gift cards, and wire transfers. **More on voice cloning:** *[Voice Actors Enraged By Companies Stealing Their Voices With AI]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()