"Mom, Please Send Me Money" I Definitely Sent Money Hearing My Son's Voice... But It Was AI

$20,000 Fraudulent Remittance in Canada
"Beware of AI Voice Deepfake Voice Phishing"

Recently, a new type of scam using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to forge the voices of family members or acquaintances for voice phishing has emerged, requiring caution.

According to The Times in the UK on the 6th (local time), Benjamin Parker (39), who lives in Alberta, Canada, recently revealed that his parents fell victim to a voice phishing crime impersonating his voice.

[Image source=Pixabay]

On the day of the incident, Parker's parents received a call from someone who introduced themselves as "their son's lawyer." The lawyer said that their son was imprisoned after causing the death of an American diplomat in a traffic accident. He told Parker's parents that he would put their son on the phone, and a voice that sounded exactly like Parker came through the receiver.

The son said, "I love you," and requested that they transfer 21,000 Canadian dollars (about 20 million won) before the court hearing the next day. Although Parker's parents found the call suspicious, they were convinced it was their son's voice, so they withdrew money from several banks and sent it to the lawyer in Bitcoin.

However, Parker's parents realized they had been scammed only after receiving a call from their real son that afternoon. Parker said, "I don't know where they collected my voice," but added, "With AI technology, it is possible to forge a voice with just a few sentences."

Parker said, "It would be sufficiently possible even with the voicemail message registered on the phone," adding, "My voicemail has a 30 to 35-second message recorded. That is enough." Parker speculated that this group likely targeted elderly people, learned the names of their immediate family members, and committed the crime.

The media reported that voices can be easily forged using software programs freely distributed online. Several services capable of voice imitation with just about a one-minute voice file have already been launched among startups both overseas and domestically.

However, as AI technology advances rapidly, concerns are rising that crimes abusing AI will increase sharply. Although voice phishing crimes have continued, AI has made it easier to deceive victims by mimicking voices very realistically.