Scammers use AI to clone pensioners’ voices

Criminals are using artificial intelligence to copy the voices of pensioners, which they then use to access their bank accounts. National Trading Standards (NTS) have warned about advanced voice cloning as part of a criminal operation targeting older people.

The criminal operation call older people to ask them to take part in a lifestyle survey over the phone. The survey is a ruse to gather personal information and obtain audio recordings of the participant’s voice. These audio files can then be used to create an AI clone of the person’s voice to authorise bank transfers and direct debits.

The NTS said they have blocked almost 21 million scam phone calls over six months, and shut down 2,000 phone numbers used for this purpose. Their data suggests that the average UK adult receives seven scam calls or texts each month, with one in five receiving them every week, and 9% getting something every day.

Louise Baxter, head of the scams team at the NTS said: ““What we’re seeing is a deeply disturbing combination of old and new: traditional phone scams supported by disturbing new techniques. Criminals are using AI not just to deceive victims but to trick legitimate systems into processing fraudulent payments. This is no longer just a nuisance – it’s a co-ordinated, sophisticated operation targeting some of the most situationally vulnerable consumers in society.”

John Herriman, chief executive at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: “This alarming new twist in phone-based fraud shows just how quickly criminals are exploiting emerging technologies to prey on the public. Voice cloning takes scam calls to a sinister new level, making it even harder for legitimate businesses and consumers to distinguish real interactions from fraudulent ones.”

The public are advised to speak to friends and relatives about possible scam calls, to check credit card and bank statements regularly, and to report anything suspicious immediately.