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A familiar voice, realistic video or urgent text is not proof that the person contacting you is who they claim to be. If someone says a loved one is in danger or asks for money or account access, pause and verify through a phone number or contact route you already trust. That simple step is more dependable than trying to judge whether audio or video looks real.
How AI impersonation scams work
Voice-cloning software can make a call sound like a family member using a short audio sample. Scammers may wrap that convincing voice in a story about an emergency, then apply urgency and secrecy to discourage you from checking. They may ask for a payment that is difficult to reverse. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that a familiar-sounding voice alone does not establish identity. FTC guidance on voice cloning and its advice on fake emergencies explain the risk.
AI is not involved in every impersonation scam, and not every scam follows the same script. In a campaign described by the FBI in May 2025, malicious actors sent texts and AI-generated voice messages that appeared to come from senior U.S. officials. The messages sought to build trust and gain access to personal accounts, including by directing targets through a malicious link to a separate messaging platform. The FBI also warned that compromised contacts can be used to target others for information or money. This is one documented campaign, not a universal scam pattern. FBI alert on the campaign.
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What to do when a call or message feels urgent
- Pause the interaction. Do not let an emergency story rush you into sending money, sharing personal information or changing account settings. Ask to call back or end the call.
- Verify using a known route. Call the person at a number already saved or otherwise known to be theirs. If they do not answer, contact another trusted family member or friend. Do not rely on caller ID, the voice itself or contact details supplied in the suspicious message. The FTC and FBI recommend independent verification. FTC guidance; FBI alert.
- Check links and new contact details separately. Before replying, clicking or moving to another messaging app, independently confirm the person or organization and its address, phone number and URL. Small changes in names and contact details can be used to mislead.
- Keep account access private. Enable multifactor authentication where available. Never give a one-time authentication code to someone who contacts you, and do not install an app or download a file at the request of an unverified caller.
- Set a family secret phrase. Agree on a word or phrase that family members can use to help verify identity. Treat it as one check, not as permission to send money without considering the request.
Why trying to spot a deepfake is not enough
Odd-looking visuals or an unnatural voice may prompt suspicion, but they are not a reliable identity test. The FBI says AI-generated content can be difficult to identify and cloned voices can sound nearly identical to real ones. A callback to a known number and confirmation through another trusted person are more useful than deciding whether a clip seems authentic. FBI guidance.
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Detection technology can help in some settings, but no single approach guarantees that a caller or recording is genuine. The FTC’s 2024 Voice Cloning Challenge recognized proposals involving synthetic-voice detection, watermarking, human-origin authentication and real-time analysis. These were challenge submissions, not an endorsement of a consumer tool or a guarantee that a particular service is available. FTC announcement.
FTC staff describes possible intervention before media reaches a consumer, during a call, or after content already exists. Each has limits: watermarks may be removed or altered, detectors can produce false positives, and signals may become harder to recognize as voice synthesis improves. Treat detection as context, not a substitute for verifying identity and the request. FTC overview of approaches and limitations.
What reported losses show—and what they do not
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2025 annual report recorded 22,364 complaints reporting AI-related information and adjusted losses exceeding $893 million. This is a broad AI-related complaint category, not a count of deepfake scams alone. The same report gives narrower figures: more than $30 million in business email compromise losses involving AI, more than $19 million lost to confidence or romance scams with a likely AI nexus, and more than $5 million in claimed losses to distress scams in 2025. These categories have different scopes and should not be added together or treated as total deepfake losses. FBI IC3 2025 annual report.
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Separately, the FTC reported $2.95 billion in consumer losses to business and government impersonation scams in 2024. That figure covers impersonation scams generally; it does not establish how much involved AI or deepfakes. FTC announcement.
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Act as soon as possible. Contact the bank, payment service or other provider involved and explain that you suspect fraud; what can be stopped or recovered depends on how you paid, so recovery is not guaranteed. If you shared account credentials or an authentication code, secure the affected account through its official app or website and review its security settings. Report the incident at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general. The FTC’s voice-cloning guidance links to recovery advice and recommends acting quickly.
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