By Smart City Operations 

It’s no secret that cybercriminals use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to craft phishing emails. However, did you know AI can also help them with phone scams or voice phishing, commonly called vishing? It is easy to teach AI software to sound like a specific person. A short audio clip from a recorded phone call or a video posted to social media can be used. Once the cybercriminals have this voice file, they can easily target friends, family members, and coworkers with AI-powered vishing. 

According to Hiya’s 2023 State of the Call Summit report, the top 5 phone scams were: 

1. Amazon customer service impersonators will state that an unauthorized purchase was made or that the credit card linked to the account needs to be updated.  
2. Insurance scams involve auto, life, and health insurance. Fraudsters try to sell a bogus policy or claim that the victim needs to pay an outstanding bill.    
3. Medicare scams have existed for years. Fraudsters try to obtain a person’s Medicare number to bill the government for medical services falsely.  
4. Loved one’s scams involve fraudsters calling pretending to be a grandchild, daughter, son, or other relative. The distraught loved one insists they are in trouble and begs the relative to wire money.
5. Payment apps—Scammers target Peer-to-peer apps such as Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, and CashApp. These apps don’t have the same consumer protections as credit cards, and when fraudsters steal money from them, it’s like stealing cash. 

Cybercriminals also use vishing to impersonate managers and executives of an organization. In this scam, an employee receives an unexpected call from upper management asking them to help them with an urgent request. The voice will direct the recipient to wire money to a vendor to meet a looming deadline. Of course, if the recipient follows the directions, they are wiring money to the cybercriminals. Vishing scams are prevalent; however, here are some tips designed to mitigate vishing scams: 

• If you receive an unexpected message from a loved one, contact the person before you take action.  

• Use a verified communication channel. For example, log into your account, call the customer service phone number, or use an official email address associated with the company. 

• When speaking to the caller directly, ask questions. For example, what was the last transaction? Can you confirm who typically manages this request from your records? 

• If the request is urgent or time-sensitive, ask yourself: Do I typically handle this at work? What procedure should be followed?