Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Ever picked up your phone and heard a loved one’s voice on the other end, panicked and asking for help? What if I told you it might not be them—and they might not even know the call happened?
Welcome to the unsettling world of deepfake voice phishing, or as the security world calls it: vishing. And yep, it’s getting scarily convincing and worryingly easy to pull off.
The Call That Sounds Real Because… It Is
Photo by Алекс Арцибашев on Unsplash
The trick behind these scams is voice cloning using AI. Attackers only need a few seconds of someone’s voice—pulled from social media videos, Zoom calls, podcasts, you name it. Three seconds is sometimes enough.
Then, they run those samples through AI tools like Tacotron 2 (Google), Vall-E (Microsoft), or other platforms like ElevenLabs and Resemble AI. With just text input, those tools can create eerily realistic recordings using the same tone, inflection, and way of speaking as the real person.
And now, they’re using that tech to scam people—at scale.
So How Does One of These Deepfake Calls Work?
Security firm Group-IB broke down the process into simple steps, and honestly, seeing it spelled out makes it even more chilling:
- Collect the voice
A short clip—just seconds—of the person’s voice is all it takes. That might come from a YouTube talk, a webinar, or even an old voicemail. - Clone the voice
The attacker uses AI speech generators to create a voice model. - Spoof the caller ID (optional, but common)
They can manipulate the phone number so it looks like it’s coming from someone you actually know or work with. - Make the call
Some of these scams follow a pre-recorded script, but others can generate speech in real time. That’s when things get really convincing. - Create panic and urgency
The fake voice might say they’re in jail and need bail money. Or pose as a CEO demanding a wire transfer. Or impersonate IT staff asking you to reset your password. - You act—and can’t undo it
Whether you send cash, credentials, or just click a dangerous link, once you follow through, there’s no taking it back.
And it’s not just theory. Mandiant, Google’s security arm, showed how easy this is to pull off. Their red team ran a simulated scam using real voice samples pulled from the internet. They matched the fake voice to a real organizational outage and got an employee to download malware—all because they trusted the voice on the call.
Why These Scams Work So Well
It comes down to emotion and trust.
We trust voices, especially the ones we know. Hearing a boss, a coworker, or a grandchild sounds real because, technically, it is. And when that voice is telling us to act fast, our brains go into autopilot.
Plus, these scams often hit when we’re least alert—busy, tired, rushed. That sense of urgency can override our usual skepticism.
How to Protect Yourself (and Others)
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There’s no perfect fix, but here are a few smart steps:
- Set a verbal password
Agree with coworkers or family on a code word to verify identity. Use it before confirming sensitive actions. - Call them back
Hang up and call the number you already have saved. If it’s someone faking the voice, they won’t answer from the real number. - Stay calm under pressure
Easier said than done, but try. Scammers win when emotion takes over and logic flees. - Train your team
For businesses, run role-play or phishing tests. Build awareness before the real thing hits.
Let’s Be Real—This Isn’t Going Away
Deepfake tech is only getting better. Group-IB noted that while real-time vishing is still rare, it’s improving fast thanks to better processing speeds and smarter models. So even if you haven’t heard of someone falling for it yet, you probably will soon.
The bottom line? If something feels off during a high-pressure call, it probably is. Hang up. Double-check. Trust your gut—and maybe a pre-agreed code word too.
Keywords: deepfake vishing, AI voice scams, voice cloning fraud, cybersecurity threats, AI phishing attacks, business email compromise, scam phone calls AI, deepfake phone scam, voice spoofing detection
