In the June edition of Absolutely magazine (p.135), Valkyrie’s Gurpreet Thathy explores how AI-generated voice cloning is now being actively used by criminals to impersonate trusted contacts and authorise fraudulent payments.
With as little as 30 seconds of audio – scraped from a podcast, video clip, or even a voicemail – scammers can replicate someone’s voice with chilling accuracy. A UK journalist recently demonstrated this by cloning her own voice using a £15 app, successfully bypassing her bank’s phone security without raising suspicion.
This isn’t speculative. Just weeks ago, a deepfake video appeared online featuring a cloned voice and AI-generated likeness of City analyst Michael Hewson, urging viewers to invest in a fraudulent trading platform. The fake was so convincing it spread across Facebook and YouTube before being flagged and removed. This merging of synthetic voice and video is now a key weapon in high-end financial scams.
According to recent reports, over a quarter of UK adults believe they’ve been targeted by an AI voice scam in the past year. For those with a recognisable profile or who move funds frequently, the risks are only increasing.
Increasingly scammers are also pairing AI-generated voices with breached personal information, creating scams that are alarmingly realistic. The voice may be synthetic, but the details make it feel real. Staying informed is your first line of defence. As outlined in our article, key protective steps include tactics like agreeing on a rotating spoken code phrase for sensitive instructions, breaking the communication channel if something feels off and briefing your inner circle on strict voice-verification protocols.
Stay sceptical, especially when urgency is used as a pressure tactic. In a world where your voice is no longer proof of identity, verification must be deliberate – not assumed!
