Why you should think twice about using WhatsApp voice notes
What started out as a playful artificial intelligence (AI) tool to recreate your own voice, now has a dark side. AI is being used for nefarious means, tech experts have seen a rise in generative AI cloning people’s voices, reports Business Tech. As a result, they are urging caution over the use of WhatApp voice notes […]
What started out as a playful artificial intelligence (AI) tool to recreate your own voice, now has a dark side. AI is being used for nefarious means, tech experts have seen a rise in generative AI cloning people’s voices, reports Business Tech. As a result, they are urging caution over the use of WhatApp voice notes – and any other voice-enabled technology – especially in a business/work environment.
CRIMINALS ARE USING WHATSAPP VOICE NOTES
Generative AI that can clone people’s voices is a new and concerning threat for those who use WhatsApp voice notes and other voice-enabled technology. Criminals can now create convincing deep fakes of your voice and instances of criminals perpetrating realistic voice scams have made headlines across the world.
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AI generative technology has been used to impersonate the voice of the CEO of a company in the UK to extort more than R4.3 million. Similarly, a company in Hong Kong was defrauded of R631 million with the same technique.
BUT IT’S NOT JUST HIGH-PROFILE INDIVIDUALS
Scams perpetrated via WhatsApp voice notes include the following. Kidnapping hoaxes and fake interactions on trading platforms like Gumtree to organise payments. Requests for passwords or money from friends or family. And fake emergency calls to get someone to a specific location.
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Worryingly, almost all of these scams that are difficult to detect. Scammers can create realistic conversations that mimic your voice by using only a few seconds of recorded audio. Criminals have ornate techniques at their disposal to capture the voice of anyone who has shared their lives online. AI technology can then manipulate these recordings to make the person say anything.
HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOURSELF?
From a business point of view, a good defence requires a strong multi-level authentication process, especially for financial transactions. Relying solely on a WhatsApp voice note from one individual should not be sufficient to change a password or initiate a monetary transaction.
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Personally, you’re protected if you are educated and on the lookout for such scams. It’s important to be aware of the risks of voice-enabled technology. Take a moment to verify all the information before doing something you will regret.