The new thing in scams is the Voice Phishing, better known as "Vishing". This is the most sophisticated technique currently for scams carried out through phone calls or WhatsApp voice messages. Today I'll tell you everything about Vishing, the tools that are used and how you can avoid falling for these scams.
Vishing, the scam that clones voices
El Vishing is the latest form of fraud that relies on text-to-speech technology in which scammers use phone calls or voice messages to deceive victims. The scammers They try to obtain personal and financial information. They can also impersonate representatives of banking entities, agencies of all kinds, recognized companies or even people around you using advanced identity theft techniques.
The latter is perhaps the most complicated thing to do since the people around you are not usually exposed on the Internet in such a way that their voices can be cloned. But if it happens that a family member or acquaintance of yours is a famous or well-known person on the Internet, his or her voice may be found in a database that uses AI such as SunoAI. In this case, It can be really dangerous if someone calls you on WhatsApp pretending to be a friend or family member with their voice and tells you to give them your personal information..
But equally, this is an extreme case. The rest of the most common cases continue to be a problem for anyone and we must be alert to these scams. The first thing to realize that it is a scam is know how to identify when it is a cloned voice. To do this, we are going to identify the tools that these scammers use.
What tools do Vishing scammers use?
Scammers generally try to disguise their operations so that they can deceive their victim at all times. For this reason, they use advanced technologies to falsify both the caller's voice and the phone number that appears. This technique is known as caller id spoofing This way, when they talk to you on WhatsApp, the message appears to come from a trusted or known source.
Furthermore, as I mentioned before, they use both text-to-speech conversion software, which there are many and very effective, and artificial intelligence. That is to say, They use this technology that allows them to generate automated calls with prerecorded messages that seem legitimate and urgent. And in case they go further they use also AI to make voice-only “deepfakes”.
And last but not least, Social engineering is also used in WhatsApp to gain the victim's trust. They do this through WhatsApp groups where dozens of fake users try to make the scam look valid with messages that encourage the user to provide information or make illegal payments.
How to avoid Vishing on WhatsApp?
To avoid being scammed with this new technique, the first thing you should know is Identify when someone is trying to manipulate your emotions during a call to create a sense of urgency. Scammers often They use pressure tactics to make you act quickly without thinking. Pay attention to voicemails from unknown numbers and hasty requests for personal or financial information.
Although it is true that Deepfake technology is growing very quickly and in a few months it will be indistinguishable from a real voice, right now you can identify certain aspects in the voice of the message. In fact, you may notice that the tone of voice of the message or the call is monotonous most of the time. Also They tend to avoid giving personal names or answering your questions. since they are prepared recordings and they cannot make one for each user.
And if beyond WhatsApp they are also overwhelming you with calls, is install an app that blocks calls for added peace of mind.
In short, try to be as careful as possible, be wary of any call or voice message that seems suspicious to you and if you don't know if it's real, cut off the call and personally contact the company they're pretending to be. In other words, try, by your own means, to find out if the information received is correct.
And of course, never give any type of personal or banking information on WhatsApp. If it is necessary for you to provide data of this type, you will surely be able to do so through another, more secure means. Remember that Awareness of these types of scams is as important as knowing how to avoid them, so try to share this message with all the people around you to avoid any misfortune.