Voice cloning
Using generative AI to produce audio that imitates a particular person's voice, so that a caller or voice message can pose as a relative, official or account holder.
Voice cloning is the use of AI to generate audio that sounds like a specific person. The FBI warned in December 2024 that criminals use AI-generated audio, which it calls vocal cloning, to impersonate well-known public figures or personal relations to elicit payments. It describes short audio clips containing a loved one’s voice used to pose as a close relative in a crisis, asking for immediate financial help or demanding a ransom. The FBI also says criminals use AI-generated audio of individuals to get access to bank accounts.
In May 2025 the FBI reported a campaign using AI-generated voice messages to impersonate senior US officials, and noted that cloned voices can sound nearly identical to the real person. That is the problem: you can no longer rely on recognising the voice.
The FBI’s practical advice does not depend on spotting a fake. Agree a secret word or phrase with your family to verify identity. Hang up and call the person back on a number you already know, or look up the bank’s number yourself. Do not send money, gift cards or cryptocurrency to people you have only met online or by phone. The FBI also suggests limiting how much of your voice and image is public, for example by making social media accounts private.
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.
- Grandparent and family emergency scams · A frightened voice claiming to be your grandchild, an arrest, and a courier on the way for the bail money.
- Virtual kidnapping scams · A call insisting a loved one has been kidnapped, kept open so you never get the chance to check, while nobody has actually been taken.
Sources
- Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Accessed 2026-10-10. Supports: How criminals use AI-generated audio, including cloned relatives' voices, and the protective tips.
- Senior US Officials Impersonated in Malicious Messaging Campaign. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Accessed 2026-10-10. Supports: That AI-generated voice messages are used to impersonate known people and can sound nearly identical to the real voice.