NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As children head back to school, cybersecurity experts are issuing a critical warning to parents about a sophisticated, high-tech new threat: AI-driven voice cloning scams.
Scammers are now using readily-available artificial intelligence tools to mimic children’s voices with startling accuracy, attempting to trick parents into sending thousands of dollars.
How the scam works
It begins with a ringing phone and a parent’s worst nightmare.
“What we’re seeing is parents are now getting calls as if they were coming from their children, when in fact they’re coming directly from the scammers,” said Howard Globus, a cybersecurity specialist.
He noted that today’s AI tools are highly capable of convincingly imitating voices. The callers typically demand money urgently, fabricating an emergency such as an accident or a severe problem to exploit parents’ emotions.
These emotional schemes are costing parents anywhere from a few hundred dollars to up to $15,000.
Red flags to watch for
To protect your family, experts highlight key red flags and safety measures:
- Check the caller ID: These deceptive calls often come from blocked, unknown or spoofed numbers.
- Establish a highly specific question: If you receive a suspicious call, stay calm and ask a highly specific question that only your child would know (e.g., “Have you taken your baseball cards today?” with a specific response like “Yes, they’re in my backpack”).
- Avoid simple passwords: Do not rely on simple family safe words or passwords, as they are increasingly easy for scammers to guess.
- Keep details off social media: Ensure the security questions you use rely on details that cannot be easily found on social media platforms.
Traditional scams still active
Globus warns that scammers are also continuing to use traditional AI-assisted tactics. This includes sending phishing text messages and emails disguised as communications from your child’s school or after-school programs.
“With back-to-school, parents are being targeted because we care about our kids,” Globus said. “Because we care about our kids, we have an emotional component involved, and scammers are playing off that emotion.”
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