CLEVELAND — Phone scams are becoming more sophisticated with the help of artificial intelligence. Scammers are using AI to clone voices, including those of friends and family, to steal money or personal information over the phone.
"Some of these voice overs, if you have heard them, it's amazingly good," said Vipin Chaudhary, professor of Computer and Data Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. "I cannot detect whether it is a particular person saying it or it is generated."
Chaudhary said voice cloning is relatively easy because there are apps and computer programs designed just for that.
"It could take three seconds of your audio then generate your voice," said Chaudhary.
Good Morning Cleveland anchor Mike Brookbank spoke with Sheryl Harris, the director of Cuyahoga County's Department of Consumer Affairs, about safeguarding against voice cloning scams.
"There are new tools that are being developed all the time to combat these new threats," said Harris.
The Federal Communications Commission ruled in February that phone calls made with artificial intelligence-generated voices are illegal, meaning states can prosecute the people behind those calls.
However, with technology advancing every day, fighting AI-related fraud is proving to be difficult.
"Stopping it is I think going to be very hard, but it has to be a multi-pronged approach," said Chaudhary. "People have to be vigilant. The companies who provide such software, they have to be taking measures. The government has to be involved."
