By Shae Rozzi, Fox23 News
AI can be used for good to help make your job easier. But scammers are using it for bad purposes to trick you into sending them money.
The number on your phone may look like it’s from your boss. The voice may even sound like your boss asking you to urgently wire money to a vendor or buy gift cards for coworkers as a surprise. Or you get a call that looks like it’s from a loved one. It even sounds like them saying they got into some sort of trouble and they need you to send money right away.
Amie Mitchell, the CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Oklahoma shared with our news partners at FOX23 information about this latest type of scam where they can take a small example of a loved one’s voice and make it sounds like them.
Yes, you read that correctly. Hang up on what may sound like your child or your boss if you get a call like this, especially if they ask you to send money right away through Bitcoin, Crytpo, gift cards, or other payment apps because those are common practices scammers use to get your money and you have a tough time getting anything back.
Amie explains further why you should hang up and what to do in advance.
Amie says to have this conversation with your loved ones now. Tell them about the scam going around. So if they call, you can tell them you will call them back to make sure it is them. It’s not that you don’t trust them, its that you don’t trust technology that could be pretending to be them.
“You could also come up with a phrase or password that only you and your family know by verbal. Don’t text it to anyone. That might help if you’re on a phone call that situation, what’s the passcode. That may help combat some of that.” she says.
If the person is demanding you pay using Bitcoin or gift cars, that’s the most obvious sign it’s a scam.
