The Hanyang Branch of the Wuhan Municipal Public Security Bureau received a report from a bank that two elderly individuals requested early withdrawal of fixed deposits. Bank staff suspected they were victims of telecom fraud. Though the two elderly individuals did not know each other, they coincidentally went to the same bank to conduct their transactions.

Upon investigation, Mrs. Xiao and Mr. Yang both received calls from individuals pretending to be their grandsons. Mrs. Xiao was told that her grandson had injured someone in an altercation and was being mediated at a police station, while Mr. Yang’s "grandson" claimed to have been in a traffic accident and needed immediate compensation. Shockingly, both elderly individuals were convinced the voice on the phone sounded exactly like their grandsons.

However, after the police confirmed with the families, it was found that neither of their grandsons was involved in any of these emergencies. Police quickly determined this was a new type of fraud in which criminals use AI technology to clone the voices of the elderly's relatives, simulating a real conversation to craft an elaborate scam.

Analysis of the Scammers' Process

In this type of precise telecom fraud, scammers use AI voice cloning technology to convincingly imitate the voice of a victim's relative, exploiting the elderly's trust and emotional dependence on family members, further enhancing the credibility of the scam. This not only makes the victim more likely to believe the phone call, but also puts them in a state of panic, leading them to make hasty, erroneous decisions.

1. Obtaining Personal Information: Scammers first acquire detailed personal information about the elderly's grandsons, including names, contact details, and schooling information, often through illegal data breaches, social media, or other illicit means. With this data in hand, scammers can use AI voice cloning technology to convincingly replicate the voice of the victims' grandsons. By accurately mimicking speech patterns and tones, the scammers make the deception even more believable.

2. Creating Urgent Scenarios: In the phone calls, scammers fabricated two different urgent situations — one claimed the grandson was involved in a school altercation, while the other said the grandson was in a traffic accident. Both scenarios played on the elderly's concern for their grandsons' safety, generating a sense of urgency that pressured the victims into reacting quickly. By creating this atmosphere of urgency, scammers manipulate victims into immediately transferring money to resolve the "emergency," emphasizing secrecy to prevent the victims from verifying the story with others.

3. Exploiting Emotional Dependence: Elderly individuals often have a strong emotional reliance on their family, especially on their children and grandchildren. When receiving a call from someone imitating a family member, the strong emotional connection can override rational thinking. Scammers exploit this deep-seated trust and care, using it as the point of entry to successfully manipulate victims into making irrational decisions. By deliberately creating a sense of urgency, scammers can cause elderly victims to lose their ability to think critically and act hastily. The elderly, due to their lack of experience in dealing with unexpected crises and their lower adaptability to new technology, are particularly vulnerable to being led by scammers under stress and anxiety.

4. Key Role of AI Voice Cloning Technology: AI voice cloning is the most crucial tool in these scams. For the elderly, the cloned voices sound genuine and are difficult to distinguish from the real thing. Most older individuals are not aware of or equipped to handle such sophisticated technological fraud, making them more susceptible to these types of schemes. Additionally, scammers typically isolate the victim, urging them not to inform anyone else, especially family members or bank staff. This isolation tactic minimizes the chances of the victim seeking external help or verifying the legitimacy of the situation, allowing the fraud to succeed more easily.

How the Elderly Can Prevent AI Phone Scams

In this type of sophisticated telecom fraud, the use of AI-generated realistic audio and video makes it difficult for victims to detect anomalies through traditional methods. Therefore, even after "verifying" the caller's identity via phone or video, the elderly must remain highly vigilant when facing urgent financial requests. When it comes to financial transactions, it's essential to use multiple methods to confirm the identity of the other party and avoid making hasty decisions that could lead to falling into a trap. The Dingxiang Business Security Intelligence Center suggests the following effective preventive measures for the elderly:

1. Redial the Call:
When receiving a suspicious phone call or video message, stay calm and avoid immediately responding to any requests. You can use a pretext, like poor signal, to hang up the call. Then, redial using a known, secure contact method to verify whether the request genuinely came from a family member. This prevents you from responding directly to fraudulent information.

2. Use a Security Keyword:
Set up a "security word" or "challenge question" that only you and your close family members know, to verify the caller's identity. If you receive a suspicious call, ask the caller to provide this keyword. If they cannot answer correctly or attempt to avoid the question, this should be a warning signal of a potential scam. Immediately hang up and verify the identity through a secure method.

3. Consult Family and Friends:
If faced with urgent financial requests, first check with other family members or trusted individuals to verify if they are aware of the situation or if they have also received a similar call. This prevents the pressure and confusion caused by handling false information alone. Consulting trusted relatives can help you assess the authenticity of the situation.

4. Report to the Authorities:
Dial the local emergency number, 110, to report the suspected scam in detail to the police.

These preventive measures not only help individuals defend against AI scams but also remind the elderly to stay calm and vigilant when dealing with sudden financial requests, avoiding falling into the traps set by criminals.