Deepfake
Audio or video generated to imitate a specific real person, used to make an impersonation scam survive a phone or video call.
The practical effect is that two old pieces of advice have quietly expired. “Ask to speak to them” and “insist on a video call” are no longer proofs of identity — a cloned voice needs only a few seconds of reference audio, and video calls have been faked in documented corporate frauds.
What still works is a callback on a number you already had, and a shared secret the caller could not look up. Agreeing a family code word costs nothing and defeats the entire category. Note also that most “deepfake” family-emergency calls are not deepfakes at all: a distressed voice on a bad line does not need to be cloned to be believed.
Where it shows up
- Deepfake voice and video scams — A familiar voice, or a face on a video call, that belongs to nobody — and the checks people were taught no longer apply.
- Business email compromise — Someone reads a real payment conversation from inside a real mailbox, then joins it with different bank details.
- Celebrity endorsement and deepfake ads — The advert is not the fraud. It is the door, and it is bought with a stolen face.