Man Fears Scam Might Be AI Impersonating Him

This week, a man from Seattle got an unsettling scam call wherein the caller strongly resembled his sister’s voice.

When I answered, there was a clearly upset woman on the line," Will Erstad stated. "Her voice seemed extremely recognizable.

A male voice asserted he was from the Seattle Police Department, stating that there had been a "very serious incident."

“It’s tricky. They spike my emotions right off the bat... make me real scared. It’s hard to do,” Erstad said.

The man asked for Erstad’s personal information, like an address, and that’s when Erstad started to think something was up. He began asking the callers questions, which led to them hanging up.

"I'm quite knowledgeable when it comes to scam phone calls, and I was nearly tricked into revealing my personal details," Erstad stated.

He believes several factors contributed to this situation: initially hearing someone cry on the phone, recognizing an urgent threat to a person's well-being, and noticing that the woman's voice reminded him strongly of his sister.

He says he’s not sure if either of the voices were real or fake, making him suspicious at the possibility that at least one of them was Artificial Intelligence.

"I'm familiar with AI-generated voices and number spoofing techniques. These methods can be quite sophisticated," Erstad stated.

A simple web search can bring someone to AI voice generators, even voice “cloners,” similar to the Seattle crosswalks that were hacked, Using the synthesized voice of Jeff Bezos .

It genuinely concerns me. How difficult can it be for someone to contact my sister and obtain some voice recordings of hers?" Erstad ponders. "Scenarios like this are extremely frightening, with technology progressing at such a rapid pace that distinguishing between real and fake voices may become nearly impossible in the near future.

The Seattle police are investigating scams of a similar nature. The King County Sheriff’s Office provided the following guidance regarding scam calls:

• Ask specific questions. While caller ID can be faked, a scammer might not be able to answer specific questions or even answer them quickly or thoroughly. That is a good tip-off.
• Confirm the call. Request a phone number, end the call, then dial the number again.
• Take a breath. Take a minute to gauge the situation to see if it seems like this is legitimate. Scammers are trying their hardest to manipulate you.
• This is always a good practice; limit the information you put out on social media in general, as that can definitely be used against you by a potential scammer.
• Always remember: law enforcement will never demand money or threaten to arrest you or tell you you have an outstanding warrant over the phone. When in doubt, hang up and call 911.