How to Spot AI Voice-Clone and Deepfake Scams
A few seconds of someone's voice from a video is enough for AI to copy it. Scammers use cloned voices for fake "family emergency" calls and deepfake celebrities to sell fake products. Officials, including the Arizona Attorney General, now recommend one simple defense: a family code word.
Set up your defenses today
- Pick a family code word. Choose a word or phrase that's never been posted online, and agree that anyone calling in an "emergency" has to say it. Practice it with kids and older parents.
- Agree on a call-back rule. If a call asks for money, hang up and call the person back on the number you already have saved. Scammers can fake the caller ID.
- Limit public voice clips. Consider making accounts with long videos of your voice, or your kids' voices, private or friends-only.
Red flags on a call
- Panic plus a deadline. "I'm in jail / in the hospital / kidnapped, send money now" is the classic script. Urgency is the tool.
- "Don't tell Mom or Dad." Secrecy requests are there to stop you from checking the story.
- Strange payment methods. Gift cards, crypto, wire transfers, payment apps to strangers, or a "courier" picking up cash. Real lawyers and hospitals don't work that way.
- A voice that sounds right but answers oddly. Ask something only they'd know that isn't online, like the name of your first pet or the code word.
Red flags in videos and ads
- Celebrities selling miracle cures. Deepfake ads with famous faces are pushing fake supplements, often targeting older adults, according to AARP. Real celebrities rarely endorse "cures".
- Lips slightly out of sync, or stiff blinking. Look at the mouth, teeth, earrings, and hairline, where fakes often glitch. But better fakes may show no visible signs, so judge the request, not the video.
- A link that isn't the brand's real site. Go to the official website yourself instead of clicking the ad.
If you get the call
Stay calm and don't send anything. Ask for the code word. Hang up and call the person directly. If you did send money, call your bank or the payment service right away, then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (US) and to local police.
Quick answer
The best defense against AI voice-clone scams is a family code word plus a firm rule to hang up and call back on a saved number before sending any money.