It’s coming from inside the phone!  Avoiding the AI phone scams

Something scary happened to someone I know.  Their grown kid called saying they had been in a car accident and had been arrested.  They were told a public defender would call them to talk about bail funds.   This was followed up by the lawyer’s call.  However, when they asked the lawyer a question he couldn’t answer, he hung up.  So they called their kid — who turned out to be fine and not in jail.

The voice sounded exactly like their kid, so they had no idea this was a scam. The caller may have used an AI voice spoofer to mimic the kid’s voice.  It was really convincing.  If the scammer hadn’t made an obvious factual error, they might have been able to convince them to send bail money. 

This is far from a unique occurrence – AI phone scams are apparently becoming more prevalent as the technology becomes easier to use.  These scams can come in many guises – from calls pretending to be from loved ones to vendors demanding to be paid bills you don’t owe.  Below, I’ll discuss ways to avoid scams and how to respond if one happens to you.

How to avoid these scams

Scammers can spoof incoming numbers as well as voices.  They can sound scary and realistic, so have a plan for emergency calls:

• Set up a code word or question with your kids, spouse, parents, or others likely to call you.  It should be something that will be easy to remember in an emergency.
• Ask a question you and the presumed caller know the answer to, but a scammer will not.  If they are calling about an accident, you might ask, “Which car did you take today?”  Or, if the caller claims to be a lawyer, “Where are you authorized to practice law?”  If it’s about a bill, you can ask for your account number or ask about an invoice you previously paid (“Can you verify the amount of our earlier invoice, number XYZ?”).
• If the caller is supposed to be someone you know,  put them on hold and call their cell or work number.
• If the phone number looks like your lawyer’s office, ask to speak to a paralegal or legal secretary. These names aren’t publicly available as often, so harder to spoof.

If you are asked to send money for something like bail, verify the proper steps that are actually needed to pay, versus what the phone caller might tell you:

• Call the courthouse and verify the case information and bail instructions.
• Similarly, for vendors, call a known number and verify the instructions.
• Do not send gift cards or crypto for bail, other official fees, or vendor bills.

If you are scammed

Don’t be embarrassed!  The scammers create very realistic scenarios that are designed to be difficult to detect.  Some steps you can take if one does catch you include:

• Report scams to your local police, the FTC, the FBI, and the Department of Justice.  If you are scammed at work, IT may also want to be involved.

• If you gave a scammer bank info, contact the bank account to shut down the affected account.
• If you sent money, check your homeowners/renters policy to see if you have fraud theft insurance.  Your work may also have its own protection.

There is some skepticism about whether the scammers are using AI tools or only traditional social engineering techniques, but planning in advance can help avoid phone scans in general.  Know that you aren’t alone, and even if you are scammed, it’s not your fault.