{"id":167893,"date":"2024-05-15T12:23:41","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T19:23:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=167893"},"modified":"2025-07-08T18:41:33","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T01:41:33","slug":"artificial-imposters-cybercriminals-turn-to-ai-voice-cloning-for-a-new-breed-of-scam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/artificial-imposters-cybercriminals-turn-to-ai-voice-cloning-for-a-new-breed-of-scam\/","title":{"rendered":"Artificial Imposters\u2014Cybercriminals Turn to AI Voice Cloning for a New Breed of Scam"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three seconds of audio is all it takes.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cybercriminals have taken up newly forged artificial intelligence <\/span>(<\/span>AI<\/span>)<\/span> voice cloning tools and created a new breed of scam. With a small sample of audio, they can clone the voice of nearly anyone and send bogus messages by voicemail or voice messaging texts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The aim, most often, is to trick people out of hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The rise of AI voice cloning attacks\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Our recent global study found that out of 7,000 people surveyed, one in four said that they had experienced an AI voice cloning scam or knew someone who had. Further, our research team at McAfee Labs discovered just how easily cybercriminals can pull off these scams.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With a small sample of a person\u2019s voice and a script cooked up by a cybercriminal, these voice clone messages sound convincing, 70% of people in our worldwide survey said they weren\u2019t confident they could tell the difference between a cloned voice and the real thing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cybercriminals create the kind of messages you might expect. Ones full of urgency and distress. They<\/span> will use the cloning tool to impersonate a victim\u2019s friend or family member with a voice message that says they\u2019ve been in a car accident, or maybe that they\u2019ve been robbed or injured. Either way, the bogus message often says they need money right away.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In all, the approach has proven quite effective so far. One in ten of people surveyed in our study said they received a message from an AI voice clone, and 77% of those victims said they lost money as a result.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The cost of AI voice cloning attacks\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Of the people who reported losing money, 36% said they lost between $500 and $3,000, while 7% got taken for sums anywhere between $5,000 and $15,000.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, a clone needs an original. Cybercriminals have no difficulty sourcing original voice files to create their clones. Our study found that 53% of adults said they share their voice data online or in recorded notes at least once a week, and 49% do so up to ten times a week. All this activity generates voice recordings that could be subject to hacking, theft, or sharing (whether accidental or maliciously intentional). <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Consider that people post videos of themselves on YouTube, share reels on social media, and perhaps even participate in podcasts. Even by accessing relatively public sources, cybercriminals can stockpile their arsenals with powerful source material.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly half (45%) of our survey respondents said they would reply to a voicemail or voice message purporting to be from a friend or loved one in need of money, particularly if they thought the request had come from their partner or spouse (40%), mother (24%), or child (20%).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Further, they reported they\u2019d likely respond to one of these messages if the message sender said:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n