What is AI Voice Cloning?
AI voice cloning uses artificial intelligence to create a synthetic copy of someone's voice. With just a few seconds of audio, often scraped from social media videos, voicemails, or public content, criminals can generate realistic fake audio that sounds exactly like your loved ones.
This technology, sometimes called "deepfake audio," has become increasingly accessible and sophisticated. What once required expensive equipment and technical expertise can now be done with free online tools and a smartphone.
How Scammers Obtain Voice Samples
- • Public videos on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube
- • Voicemail greetings (by calling and hanging up)
- • LinkedIn videos and professional content
- • Phone calls where they record you speaking
- • Hacked accounts and private messages
1. The "Grandchild in Trouble" Scam
The most devastating use of voice cloning targets grandparents. Criminals use a cloned voice of a grandchild to call claiming they're in urgent trouble and need money immediately.
How It Works
- • Caller sounds exactly like your grandchild
- • Claims to be in jail, hospital, or accident
- • Begs you not to tell parents
- • "Lawyer" or "police officer" takes over
- • Demands immediate payment via cash or gift cards
How to Verify
- ✓ Hang up and call them directly
- ✓ Ask a question only they would know
- ✓ Contact their parents immediately
- ✓ Use your pre-agreed family code word
- ✓ Real emergencies can wait 5 minutes to verify
Example Script
"Grandma, it's me! [crying] I've been in a car accident and I'm at the police station. They're saying I was drinking but I wasn't, I swear. Please don't tell Mum and Dad - they'll kill me. I need £3,000 for bail right now or I'll go to prison..."
2. CEO / Boss Impersonation
Businesses are increasingly targeted by voice cloning scams where criminals impersonate executives to authorise fraudulent payments. The cloned voice of a CEO or CFO instructs an employee to make an urgent wire transfer.
Warning Signs
- • Urgent request for wire transfer
- • Boss "travelling" and hard to reach
- • Request to keep transaction confidential
- • Payment to new or unusual supplier
- • Pressure to bypass normal procedures
Business Protection
- ✓ Implement verbal confirmation codes
- ✓ Require dual authorisation for payments
- ✓ Call back on known direct numbers
- ✓ Never bypass financial controls
- ✓ Train staff on voice cloning threats
Real Case: In 2024, a UK energy company lost £200,000 after an employee received a call from someone who sounded exactly like the CEO, requesting an urgent transfer to a "new supplier" for a confidential acquisition.
3. Romance Scam with Voice Cloning
Voice cloning has supercharged romance scams. Fraudsters now use cloned celebrity voices or create entirely synthetic personas that can "speak" on the phone, making their fake identities seem more real and building deeper emotional connections.
New Tactics
- • AI voice matches dating profile photos
- • Can now "speak" on voice calls
- • Cloned celebrity voices used
- • Voice notes sent via WhatsApp
- • Still avoids video calls with excuses
How to Spot Them
- ✓ Insist on live video calls early
- ✓ Ask spontaneous questions they can't prepare for
- ✓ Listen for unnatural speech patterns
- ✓ Notice if they avoid saying specific things
- ✓ Never send money to someone you haven't met
4. Virtual Kidnapping Scams
Perhaps the most terrifying use of voice cloning is "virtual kidnapping." Criminals call claiming to have kidnapped a family member and play a cloned recording of them screaming or pleading for help. No one has actually been taken - it's entirely fake.
How It Works
- • Call claims family member has been kidnapped
- • Cloned voice heard crying/screaming
- • Demands immediate ransom payment
- • Keeps you on the phone so you can't verify
- • Creates panic to prevent rational thinking
What To Do
- ✓ Try to stay calm (easier said than done)
- ✓ Have someone else call the "victim"
- ✓ Ask to speak to them with a code word
- ✓ Call 999 if you believe it's real
- ✓ Real kidnappers rarely call immediately
Important: These scammers rely on panic. If you receive such a call, try to buy time and have someone else contact your family member directly. In almost every case, the "victim" is safe and unaware anything is happening.
How to Protect Your Family
Create a Family Code Word
Agree on a secret word or phrase that only your family knows. In any emergency call, ask for this code word. Scammers won't know it, no matter how good the voice clone is.
Always Call Back Directly
If someone claiming to be a family member asks for money, hang up and call them directly on their known number. A real emergency can wait 60 seconds for verification.
Limit Public Voice Content
Be cautious about posting videos with your voice on social media. Consider making accounts private. The less audio available, the harder it is for scammers to clone your voice.
Educate Vulnerable Family Members
Talk to elderly relatives about voice cloning scams. They are often the primary targets and may not be aware this technology exists. Practice verification procedures with them.
Ask Questions Only They Would Know
If you're suspicious, ask personal questions the real person would know but that aren't on social media. "What did we have for dinner last Sunday?" or "What's our pet's middle name?"
Signs You're Hearing a Cloned Voice
Audio Quality Issues
- • Robotic or flat emotional tone
- • Unusual pauses or timing
- • Background sounds that don't match claims
- • Slight echo or metallic quality
Behavioural Red Flags
- • Unable to answer personal questions
- • Refuses to use code word
- • Extreme urgency prevents verification
- • Asks you to stay on the line
Report Voice Cloning Scams
Police (Non-Emergency)
Report to local police
Golden Rules for Voice Cloning Protection
- Establish a family code word today
- Always verify by calling back
- Be sceptical of urgent requests
- Limit voice content on social media
- Educate elderly family members
- Ask personal verification questions
- Trust your instincts if something feels off
- Report scam calls to help protect others