Voice Cloning In WA, CA, & OR: Tips For Fighting Back

New laws have been passed dealing with AI impersonating people for scams and extortion. The FTC is now taking steps to crack down on Voice Cloning scams.

There’s been a concern in my family with scam phone calls, recording your voice and using it for nefarious reasons.

You know the phone calls, the ones where someone (real or recorded) on the other end asks if you can hear them.

You say “yes” and that yes is recorded, and now they have you giving them permission to do whatever.

Now with the advancements of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it’s almost like you don’t need to even say yes before they can clone your voice.

This concern has got me in the habit of just grunting into my phone when I get an unknown number. Pretty humorous, yes. But effective? Who knows?

Voice cloning isn’t just recording you saying “yes”, but calling you with a clone of someone you know, asking for help or financial information.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking action against such practices with its Voice Cloning Challenge.

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The initial launch to combat voice cloning was announced last year, but it looks as if a series of plans is now in place to stop the practice.

4 different approaches to detect and thwart the fraud practices have been approved by the FTC. The 4 ideas deal with using digital ‘watermarks’ in audio to help confuse voice recorders, as well as algorithms and AI to identify and stop the cloning. More information on these 4 solutions can be found here.

Until the new technology is in place, we need to rely on ourselves and common sense to keep us from being scammed. Especially when the voice on the other end of the phone is a family member needing help, in regards to money or bank information.

Tips To Avoid Being A Victim of Voice Cloning.

Call the person back, using the phone number that is familiar to you, to make sure their claim is legit.
Ask questions that only you and the other call would know.
Avoid calls from 'Potential Spam' or 'Unknown Caller'. If it's important, they'll leave a voicemail.

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LOOK: What major laws were passed the year you were born?

Data for this list was acquired from trusted online sources and news outlets. Read on to discover what major law was passed the year you were born and learn its name, the vote count (where relevant), and its impact and significance.

Gallery Credit: Katelyn Leboff