| Voice Cloning Technology Narrowly Averted in Family Safe Word Scam A recent scam targeting the Albuquerque community and beyond attempted to exploit the latest in artificial intelligence and voice cloning technology to deceive and swindle innocent victims. Fortunately, the scam was averted due to one unsuspecting family's use of a safe word. The scam began when an individual claiming to be a representative from a large, well-known bank contacted a local family via telephone. The caller used advanced voice cloning techniques to make it sound as though he were an actual employee from the bank. The scammer then proceeded to inform the family that a large sum of money had been deposited into their account and then requested confidential account information. The scammer was almost successful in duping the unsuspecting family members; however, the family was quick to realize that something wasn't quite right. They recognized the voice of the scammer was not that of the real banker and asked the caller to provide a unique safe word which was known only by the family and the legitimate financial institution. Upon the scammer's failure to provide the correct safe word, the family quickly realized the caller was a fraud and hung up the phone. This scam was narrowly averted due to the quick-thinking of the family and their use of a secure safe word. While it is important for people to remain vigilant when it comes to online safety, the use of a family safe word is a critical tool in thwarting voice cloning scams such as the one in this case. By utilizing a secure, unique safe word, families can feel confident that they are protected and are not susceptible to scams utilizing the latest in artificial intelligence and voice cloning technology. |