Criminals are using artificial intelligence to clone people's voices and set up unauthorised direct debits over the phone, National Trading Standards (NTS) has warned. The scam, described as 'advanced' by NTS, appears to be targeting older people as part of an organised criminal operation.
Fraudsters initiate the process by asking victims to participate in a so-called 'lifestyle survey' phone call, which is actually designed to gather personal, health and financial details. The criminals then use this information to create AI-generated voice clones to simulate consent for direct debits.
The voice clones can then be used to set up payments with banks and other legitimate businesses without the victim's knowledge, NTS said. Victims often do not realise payments are being taken. Latest figures suggest UK adults now receive an average of seven scam calls or texts per month, with about one in five receiving them most days.
Louise Baxter, head of the NTS scams team, said: 'What we're seeing is a deeply disturbing combination of old and new: traditional phone scams supported by disturbing new techniques. Criminals are using AI not just to deceive victims, but to trick legitimate systems into processing fraudulent payments.'
John Herriman, chief executive at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, added: 'This alarming new twist in phone-based fraud shows just how quickly criminals are exploiting emerging technologies to prey on the public. Voice cloning takes scam calls to a sinister new level.'
Which? consumer law spokeswoman Lisa Webb advised: 'If you get any calls out of the blue, don't be afraid to hang up. If you see any direct debits or transactions on your bank account that you don't recognise, contact your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card.'
