Short answer
With a short audio clip — often taken from videos posted online — scammers can make AI software sound like someone you know, the FTC warns. The call is urgent: an accident, an arrest, a payment that must go out today, and the money is wanted by wire transfer, cryptocurrency or gift cards. Don’t trust the voice. Hang up and call the person back on a number you already have, or check with another family member. The FBI recommends agreeing a secret word or phrase with your family in advance. If you have already paid, contact your bank or payment provider straight away and report it.
How the scam works
- The scammer collects a few seconds of someone’s voice from social media videos, voicemail greetings or earlier calls.
- AI software turns typed text into speech in that voice.
- You get a call — or a voice note on WhatsApp — from the “relative” in trouble, the “boss” who needs a transfer, or a “friend” stuck abroad, sometimes followed by a second person posing as a lawyer, police officer or bank.
- Pressure is the point: secrecy (“don’t tell anyone”), urgency, and a payment method that is hard to reverse.
Warning signs
- An urgent request for money or for a code — even if the voice sounds exactly right.
- Payment by wire transfer, cryptocurrency or gift cards, which the FTC flags as hard to reverse.
- A request to keep it secret or to stay on the line.
- A new or hidden number, or a voice note instead of a call you can return.
- Small oddities in tone or word choice — the FBI suggests listening for them, but don’t count on hearing a difference.
What to do during the call
- Don’t confirm personal details and don’t send money. Say you will call back.
- Hang up and call the person on the number you have saved, or reach them through someone else.
- Ask for the family code word, or a question only they could answer.
- If the caller claims to be your employer, verify through a known internal channel before any payment.
Make your family harder to fake
- Agree a secret word or phrase now, before anyone needs it — it is the FBI’s first tip.
- Where possible, make social media accounts private and limit public videos and voice clips, as the FBI suggests.
- Tell older relatives about this scam; family-emergency schemes often target them.
- Secure messaging accounts so a hacked WhatsApp can’t be used to send the fake voice note — see the “Hi Mum” WhatsApp scam.
If you already paid
Contact your bank or the payment service immediately: the sooner you act, the better the chance of stopping a transfer. Keep the number, messages and payment details. Report it — in the US to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI’s IC3; elsewhere see where to report online fraud by country. If a deepfake of your own face or voice is circulating, see how to get deepfakes removed.
Frequently asked questions
How much audio does a scammer need to clone a voice?
Only a short clip, according to the FTC — often taken from videos or voice messages posted online.
Can I tell an AI voice from a real one?
Not reliably. That is why the advice is to verify — call back on a known number or ask the family code word — rather than judge the voice.
What is a family safe word?
A word or phrase agreed in advance that only your family knows. The FBI recommends one so you can confirm a caller’s identity in an emergency.
Where do I report an AI voice scam?
In the US, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov. In other countries, report it to your national fraud or cybercrime service and to your bank.
Sources: FTC — scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes, FBI IC3 — criminals use generative AI to facilitate financial fraud, FTC — ReportFraud.ftc.gov, FBI — Internet Crime Complaint Center