Voice Cloning Threat in India: Nowadays, with the help of AI, any person’s voice can be stolen. Then, using the same voice, the vicious thieves call a relative of the victim and demand money. Unveiling the Battle Against Fraud – Recognize the Signs and Safeguard Yourself from the Alarming Danger!
Nowadays voice cloning has become a new means of fraud. The fraudsters talk to a close relative or close friend of the victim on the phone in his own voice and cheat thousands of lakhs of rupees by pretending that it is an emergency. Fraudsters use voice cloning tools to change the voice.
This type of fraud is increasing rapidly in India. In the world, people from India are becoming the maximum victims of Artificial Intelligence voice scams. More than 47 percent of Indians surveyed have admitted that either they themselves are victims or know someone who has been a victim of voice scam.
Let us understand what is voice cloning, how someone's voice gets stolen within a few seconds, how much and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud.
What is voice cloning
AI voice cloning is a technology that is used to imitate a person’s voice. This fake voice is created with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) which is exactly the same.
The method of copying voice is called voice cloning. This voice is copied so well that it is difficult for anyone to differentiate between real and fake voice. Even relatives are not able to recognize him.
How a fake voice is created
Once a fraudster gets someone’s audio clip, he simply uploads that voice clip to any online website/app with AI tools has to be uploaded on.
This AI tool is capable of recording anything new in the same voice. The new audio clip is downloaded within a few seconds.
There are many applications available online for such voice cloning. Some of these applications are free and some charge 15 to 100 dollars per month.
Only a 3 second voice note is enough for theft
Only a three second audio click is enough to copy your voice. With this small clip, anything new can be recorded in your voice in any language.
Fraudsters can take these audio clips from any of your audios, videos or reels available on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube). Or if you have sent a voice note to someone on WhatsApp, then you can take the audio clip from there also.
Half the work of the thugs is done once they get the audio clip. Now all they have to do is get the information of your relative and their phone number. After this, the phone is directly dialed to your relative or friend or they send a voice note saying that it is an emergency and demand money.
What kind of excuses do fraudsters make?
Cyber security agency McAfee has revealed in a research report that in the world, voice scams through Artificial Intelligence are taking place the most in India. Here 1 in 4 people is affected by this type of scam. The report of the survey conducted on 7054 people in seven countries of the world is as follows –
- 83 percent people are unable to find out whether the spam call they receive has been made with the help of a machine or software or is actually a human being speaking.
- The report revealed that 47 percent of Indians have either been victims or know someone who has been a victim of AI voice scams. In the world this figure is 25 percent.
- 66 percent of Indians have said that most of such voice scam calls come from a friend or family member who is in urgent need of money. These most likely include parents (46%), spouses (34%) or their children (12%).
- The most common claim in scam voice calls was ‘I have been robbed’ (70%). After this ‘car accident happened’ (69%), ‘Lost phone/lost wallet’ (65%) or ‘I am abroad and need money urgently’ Excuses like (62%) were made.
ways to avoid fraud
First of all, pay special attention to calls coming from unknown numbers, do not believe their words immediately. It is very important to ensure his identity before talking to him. You can use apps that provide caller ID like Truecaller.
Be alert if a call from a relative or friend comes from an unknown number. Try hanging up the phone and calling the person’s real number and talk to them.
If the person makes the excuse of losing the phone or insists in some other way, then ask him some questions about which only both of you know. If he is a fraud then he will not be able to answer. If you still have doubts about him, ask him to come on video call. Transfer money only after verification.
Avoid any urgent request from an unknown person. Such people often apply pressure to take immediate decisions without thinking. Don’t decide anything hastily, especially when the person calling is asking for money or personal information.
Do not talk to an unknown person for a long time. Because the longer you continue the conversation, he will keep trying to convince you to give more money or information. End the conversation as soon as possible.
Do not make your personal information public. Be careful about the information you share on social media. Most of the fraudsters get information through social media only.
What to do if you still become a victim of fraud?
Even after taking all the precautions, if you become a victim of fraud then what should you do next? First of all, contact your bank to withdraw the money fraudulently withdrawn from your bank account. If the bank branch is far away then call and inform the customer care.
Also inform the police. Contact your local police station to file a fraud report. You can also report to cyber security authorities. Such as the National Cyber Security Agency (NSA) or the National Information Security Administration (NIST).
Voice cloning is a powerful technology, some people use it wrongly and some can also use it for good. Such as can be used to create the voices of fictional characters in movies, TV shows and video games.
Big companies create the voice of customer care to serve their customers. Or voice cloning can also be used to learn new languages in school and college.
