Tech companies are combating the epidemic of deepfakes, which are deceptively lifelike voices or videos exploited by scammers that are now more widespread than ever owing to artificial intelligence.
Ever-improving generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technologies have become weapons in the hands of criminals looking to defraud individuals out of their money or even their identities.
Debby Bodkin tells of her 93-year-old mother receiving a telephone call, a cloned voice claiming, “It’s me, mom… I’ve had an accident.”
When asked where they were, the machine-made impersonator named a hospital.
Fortunately, it was a granddaughter who answered the phone, opting to hang up and call Bodkin at work where she was safe and well.
“It’s not the first time scammers have called grandma,” Bodkin told AFP. “It’s daily.”
Deepfake phone scams generally coerce victims into paying for medical treatment or other fabricated situations.
Deepfakes are also used by criminal gangs on social media to steal the renown of celebrities or other high-profile persons, as well as for misinformation.
Source: Tech firms wage war on deepfake scams fueled by AI
