The Global Anti-Scam Alliance estimates that an astounding $1.03 trillion was lost to scams worldwide in 2024. And one of the biggest threats on the horizon is the use of AI-generated voice clones (commonly referred to as deepfakes) to perpetrate scams.
Forbes called 2024 “The Year of the Deepfake.” In its article Combating Digital Deception In 2024 And Beyond, author Steven Smith claims, “Deepfakes represent one of the most significant threats to digital security and public trust today.” He insists that as generative AI continues to accelerate, distinguishing between real and fake content is nearly impossible.
AI-aided scams are not threats of the future. They are here today. Here are a few examples:
- CBS News reports that AI voice scams are on the rise. CBS states that “Artificial intelligence-enabled voice cloning tools have made it easier for criminals to mimic strangers’ voices and dupe victims into handing over large sums of money.”
- Automaker Ferrari was a target of an elaborate scam in which a fraudster called a company executive using a deepfake cloned voice of its CEO Benedetto Vigna. Mimicking his southern Italian accent, the impersonation was nearly perfect. But the executive’s suspicions were raised when he asked the CEO about the book he had recently recommended — the phony CEO answered incorrectly.
- A reporter from the BBC conducted an experiment to see if a cloned voice could fool the voice ID systems that protect people’s bank accounts. She cloned her voice to say “My voice is my password.” She then called two banks where she had accounts and, when prompted, played the cloned-voice recording. She successfully accessed her account at both banks.
How common are deepfakes?
Research by Hiya (a survey of 2,000 US consumers conducted by Censuswide in January) found that in 2024, one in three Americans received at least one deepfake scam call.
For businesses, the stakes are much higher. A report by the identity security firm Regula found that in 2024 half of all US businesses (49%) had experienced fraud involving audio and video deepfakes, and on average, businesses across industries lost nearly $450,000 to deepfakes.
New phone app stops scams and deepfakes in real time
Fortunately, AI is not only in the hands of the bad guys. AI can be used to fight back against scams and deepfakes.
Hiya recently introduced the Hiya AI Phone app, an advanced AI-powered call assistant designed to protect users from scams, including deepfake voice fraud. The new app is powered by Hiya’s proprietary AI Voice Detection technology.
Key features of the Hiya AI Phone:
- Real-time scam protection – The app continuously analyzes call audio to detect scam language and suspicious patterns. If a potential scam is identified, it alerts the user with a vibration and an on-screen warning.
- AI voice and deepfake detection – The app detects AI-generated or modified voices by analyzing subtle audio patterns and notifies users when an AI voice is detected.
- Intelligent call screening – An AI assistant answers all unknown calls on your behalf, asking callers to state their name and reason for the call. Based on that, it blocks scam and spam calls while connecting legitimate ones. It also includes visual voicemail with AI voice detection, reviewing message transcripts and their summaries.
- Call summary and transcription – The app automatically transcribes and summarizes your calls, so you can focus entirely on the conversation.
Hiya AI Phone is for anyone looking to enhance their communication experience. Users can access a free 14 day trial of the app. You can cancel at any time within the app store settings.
