AI is weaponizing the voice channel, with automated AI agents increasing the volume of attacks and deepfake technology making targeting more effective.
In a recent survey, nearly one in three respondents (31%) said they had received a deepfake voice call in the past 12 months. That’s where scammers use artificial intelligence to clone the voice of someone the victim recognizes. Another 15% say they don’t know if they’ve experienced a deepfake — underscoring how realistic these calls can be.
Those are some of the findings from Hiya’s State of the Call 2026 report, which is based on a survey of more than 12,000 consumers in the US, Canada, UK, Spain, France and Germany.
Hiya’s State of the Call 2026 report details 5 key findings. In this blog post we take a look at Key Finding #2: AI is making voice fraud worse. We featured Key Finding #1 in our previous post, and will cover the other findings in future posts.
Download the State of the Call 2026 report >
“My 90-year-old mother received a scam call with a deepfake voice of her grandson asking for money, claiming he was in jail. My sister was there, and they didn’t fall for it. However, my Mom was so shaken up by the call that she refused to answer the phone unless someone was there with her for many months.”— Survey respondent
Our survey also asked consumers who they thought is most susceptible to deepfakes. Respondents believe that it’s our most vulnerable populations: those 75 years and older and children under the age of 18. Perhaps most concerning of all is that consumers believe it’s the scammers — not mobile network operators — who are winning the deepfake battle. 32% say scammers are winning, while only 15% say MNOs are winning. The rest believe it’s about even or don’t know.
In addition to the 5 key findings, the report also makes a number of recommendations, both for mobile network operators who deliver the calls, and for businesses seeking to connect with their customers and prospects.
Add spam and fraud protection at the network level to protect subscribers.
Use AI-powered spam protection to fight back against AI-powered scams — including deepfake voice threats.
Promote your spam protection services to your subscribers, as it is a key differentiator.
Add branded caller ID so consumers will know exactly who is calling.
Register your business numbers with mobile networks that deliver your calls.
Protect against inbound call attacks by adding AI voice detection.