Criminals are using artificial intelligence to clone people's voices and set up unauthorized direct debits over the phone, National Trading Standards (NTS) has warned.
NTS said the “advanced” voice cloning was part of an organized criminal operation that appeared to target elderly people.
The scammers began the process by asking victims to participate in a phone call called a “lifestyle survey,” which was actually designed to collect personal, health, and financial details.
The criminals then used this information to create AI-generated voice clones to simulate consent for direct debits.
The voice clones could then be used to set up payments with banks and other legitimate businesses and financial providers without the victim's knowledge, NTS said.
He warned that victims were often unaware that payments were being accepted.
The latest figures from NTS suggest that UK adults now receive an average of seven scam calls or texts per month, with around one in five (21%) receiving them most days and 9% receiving them every day.
NTS said it blocked nearly 21 million fraudulent phone calls and closed 2,000 numbers over a six-month period.
Louise Baxter, head of the NTS scam team, said: “What we are seeing is a deeply disturbing mix of old and new – traditional phone scams backed by disturbing new techniques.
“Criminals use AI not only to trick victims, but also to trick legitimate systems into processing fraudulent payments.
“This is no longer just a nuisance: it is a coordinated and sophisticated operation targeting some of society's most vulnerable consumers.
“We urge everyone to talk to friends and family about scam calls, check bank statements regularly and report anything suspicious.”
John Herriman, chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), said: “This alarming new twist in telephone fraud shows how quickly criminals are exploiting emerging technologies to take advantage of the public.
“Voice cloning takes fraudulent calls to a sinister new level, making it even more difficult for legitimate businesses and consumers to distinguish real interactions from fraudulent ones.
“Trading standards teams across the UK are working tirelessly to disrupt these operations, but we need the public to remain alert, talk to their loved ones about the risks and report anything suspicious.”
Which? Consumer law spokeswoman Lisa Webb said: “You shouldn't have to worry about your own voice being used against you in this way, but unfortunately we have reached a stage where every phone call should be treated with suspicion. If you receive any unexpected calls, don't be afraid to hang up – genuine people won't mind.”
“If you see any direct debits or transactions on your bank account that you do not recognise, please contact your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card. You should also report any scams to Police Scotland or Report Fraud to investigate.
“It's also worth making sure you're registered with the telephone preference service to opt out of receiving unsolicited marketing calls – that way you'll know that any unexpected marketing or sales calls are from a dishonest company or scammer.”
