I’ve discussed this in the past, but it remains so incredibly creepy how easy it is for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to take just a few words of any of our voices and duplicate them. It can dupe anyone into thinking they’re talking to you on the phone.
I’m talking about crazy stuff where a scammer can have a totally identical voice playing into your phone, calling you and saying, “Hey Mom, it’s [Your Child’s Name]. I’ve got a problem. I need your help.”
The tall tale they spin could be anything: “I’m broken down by the side of the road. I don’t have any money. I have to get the car towed and fixed.”
The Grandparent Scam Just Got a Major Upgrade
This is often aimed at grandparents, where a grandchild supposedly calls a grandparent or other relative asking for urgent help. What used to be known as the grandparent scam involved somebody pretending in their voice to be the voice of your grandkid.
Now, with AI, it is an exact pattern duplicate. It is the very same voice of your relative. This makes it much, much more likely that you’ll be truly worried that your grandkid is in jail, in trouble, or being held for ransom — whatever the tall tale is told.
A Simple, Low-Tech Defense for Your Family
Well, I have a simple, low-tech suggestion to consider doing: Having a family code word.
It needs to be something that is not obvious to anyone outside the family. It could be:
- The name of a longtime, beloved family pet.
- A cute nickname someone in the family has had since childhood.
Whatever it is, decide on it and make sure everybody in the family knows it.
How To Defeat the Scamster
If you ever get any kind of weird phone call — an urgent call from a family member in distress — your only response should be: “What’s the word?”
That’s what the crook isn’t going to know. They’re not going to know the family secret code word.
I mean, could you have a more low-tech way to ferret out when there’s a scamster pretending there’s an urgent crisis involving a family member than to just say, “What’s the word?” And they’re just going to be like, “What? What?”
The code word can be the same word for years and years, so it’s easy to remember. You can defeat high-tech with a really low-tech kind of thing.
The Backup Tactic
By the way, if you ever get a call you think might be real about distress with a family member, use this safety step:
Say, “Okay, I’ve got to go.”
Then, call them right back at the number you know is their number — not the number that just called you.
So often, you’ll reach them and they’ll be like, “There’s nothing wrong. I’m right here, watching TV,” or whatever.
This is a con that’s designed to strike at your fear, your love, and most importantly, your wallet. Get a code word, and stay safe.
