Have you talked to a robot scammer lately?

marketing14560
4 days ago
2 min read

Happy Friday,

This week I spoke with a robot scammer and let me tell you, "he" sounded convincing. Here are the exact words that started the conversation:

"Hi, this is Alex calling from the Golden Beast Restaurant. I'm calling to confirm a dinner reservation for tonight. Would it be possible to speak with the person who made the reservation?"

It sounded convincing - there were awkward pauses, background noise and no accent whatsoever. Of course I knew what it was doing - listening for me to talk to it so that it could learn, deepfake my voice and repeat the scam. Unfortunately for me, my voice is all over YouTube, so I'm a unique case, but for most people this could be devastating. We went through the playbook of a similar deepfake scam that hit a local contractor some time back in Episode 6 of our Cyber Secured Podcast (still Hawaii's #1 Cybersecurity Podcast).

The Takeaway

So what's going on here? There are a growing number of social engineering scams hitting the streets thanks to custom voice-phishing kids being sold on the Dark Web.

These voice kids are awesome and give a way better caller experience than voicemail, a phone tree or speaking to a tired operator in a far off country. We use a similar service to give the community a free 24x7 cybersecurity hotline at (808) 468-4000. Feel free to call it and chat with our robot! Just don't prank it too hard - it is programmed to hang up on you if you do. Many thanks to our friends at Voipcom for setting that up.

Either way, the bad guys are using these convincing AI actors to cold call random numbers with the intent of dragging victims into any number of scams. Here are my top 3 tips to keep you from becoming a victim:

1. Slow down the call. AI scam calls rely on urgency and strong emotions to make you act without thinking. Feeling pressured or confused? Hang up. A fun tip is that if you start asking too many questions, the bot will hang up on you anyway!

2. Do not trust a voice just because it sounds real. AI can clone voices and sound professional, local, or even like someone you know. If the call claims to be from a bank, tech support, law enforcement, or a family member, hang up and call back using a number you find yourself. Trust the number you dial, not the voice you hear.

3. Never share sensitive codes or financial access on a surprise call. No legitimate company will cold call and ask for one time passcodes, banking logins, gift card numbers, or crypto details. Those are the keys scammers need to take over your accounts or steal money. If a caller asks for them, it's a scam. Hang up.

Stay safe out there.

-Attila

New Friday Funnies!

What scam do cats always fall for?

Fishing links

What do you call a scam artist who is walking down the stairs?

Condescending

What was the biggest scam in Ancient Egypt?

A Pyramid Scheme.

What are scams emails called when they're typed in ALL CAPS?

CAPITAL CRIMES.

What do you call a scam perpetrated by an Irish cat?