In recent times, telephone scams took a sophistication leap thanks to technological advances. One of the most dangerous and recent methods is the impersonation of identity through voice cloning, in which criminals use artificial intelligence (AI) to imitate voices of nearby people, such as family or colleagues. These audios, created with the help of advanced software, are so real that they are almost impossible to distinguish from a genuine conversation. In this way, scammers can deceive their victims to make money transfers or deliver sensitive data, all under the appearance of talking to someone of confidence. That is why to take care of your safety, you have to ask a key question. To protect you from this type of fraud, the key is in a simple but effective measure: “What is the name of my first pet?” This question, previously agreed with your closest beings, is very difficult to guess by the scammers, even if they managed to listen to recordings of your voice. In the case of receiving a suspicious call, asking this question can be the fastest way to discover if you are in front of an attacker or a trusted person. Security questions are a vital barrier to telephone scams, since they provide an active defense against criminals. It is important to have these questions previously agreed with trusted people, so that only they can answer them correctly. Asked such as “In which city did I born?”, Or “What is the name of my first pet?”, They are ideal to protect your personal information. The scammers, who can obtain information from your social networks or recordings, will find almost impossible to guess the answers to these questions. The voice cloning process, driven by artificial intelligence, allows cybercounts to create audios that perfectly mimic the voice of any person. Using previous recordings of the victim, attackers can replicate the tone, rhythm and accent, achieving audios so real that it is almost impossible to detect that it is not a genuine conversation. This technology, known as “voice deepfake”, makes it easier for criminals Personal information. Although this type of fraud may seem difficult to avoid, having a security question is an effective defense. If you ever call you and you do not know with certainty if the person who is on the other side of the line is the one who claims to be, ask a personal and unique question, as the name of your first pet, it can be enough to unmask the scammer. You are simple, but powerful preventive measures can make all the difference when it comes to protecting your finances and your safety. If you face a suspicious call to your cell phone, ask a question like “What is the name of my first pet?”, It may be enough to know if you are dealing with fraud or someone of trust.
