In March, a 72-year-old homemaker in Hyderabad lost Rs 1.97 lakh in a scam powered by AI voice cloning. It began with a WhatsApp message that appeared to be from her sister-in-law in New Jersey, asking for urgent financial help. When she called the number, a familiar voice replied “Yes”, convincing her to transfer the money through Google Pay. Only later did she realise she had been tricked. Investigators believe fraudsters used AI-generated voice technology to mimic her relative, making the scam almost impossible to detect.
Police warn that such scams are rising quickly and urge people to double-check urgent money requests, even if they seem to come from known contacts. Suggested precautions include verifying identities through video calls, enabling two-factor authentication on WhatsApp, and reporting suspicious messages immediately.
A recent study revealed that 83 per cent of Indian victims of AI voice scams suffered financial losses, with nearly half losing more than Rs 50,000. The report also showed that 69 per cent of Indians find it difficult to tell the difference between a real and AI-generated voice, and 47 per cent have either been victims themselves or know someone who has faced such scams.
Experts note that the most common AI-driven frauds include voice cloning scams, OTP theft, phishing emails, digital arrest frauds, fake loan apps, fraudulent investment sites, romance scams, and deepfake-based extortion. Criminals use publicly available data, clone voices or create deepfake videos, and then insert them into calls, emails, or fake video conferences. These scams succeed because they exploit human emotions such as fear, urgency, and trust.
Cybersecurity specialists caution that AI is often layered onto traditional scams to make them more believable. The most alarming threats today are voice cloning, romance frauds, and deepfake extortion.
To stay safe, experts recommend never sharing OTPs or login details, verifying suspicious requests through official channels, questioning unusual demands, limiting personal information shared online, enabling two-factor authentication, and using trusted security apps.
If scammed, victims are advised to report immediately on cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930, verify all official notices before responding, avoid unverified loan or trading apps, and document all evidence to support investigations. As one expert stressed, “The best way to stay protected is to pause before responding, question before believing, and verify before acting.”
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