There Has Been A Spike In Fraud Through Robocall In The United States Due To AI's Voice Cloning Progress
JAKARTA - A new report reveals that fraud via robocall is on the rise in the United States as AI advances can clone votes, even US President Joe Biden's voice.
A fake recording message claiming to be Biden was launched in New Hampshire this week, urging Democratic Party members to vote in the preliminary election.
"Voting this Tuesday only enabls the Republics in their request to elect Donald Trump again. Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday," the victim heard via telephone.
This malicious campaign highlights the rampant dangers of technology in the US - Americans affected by 78 billion robocall calls and 225 billion robotexts per year - surging more than 50 percent from 2021.
New Hampshire's deputy state Angelahired, warning the public about AI technology advances and how easily fraudsters can access, following Biden's fake campaign.
"It's not like it used to be that it might take thousands of dollars to make a deep fake," mithesia told CBS News. We're talking about something someone can do on their phone within five minutes. This is a big problem and this is something we all have to pay attention to.
Fraudsters make robocall calls claiming to come from government agencies related to social security numbers, taxes, or Medicare. However, with the increasing AI, thieves can now clone someone's voice using their conversation recordings.
The risks are real, where potential hackers can steal your identity, access personal accounts ranging from social media to banking, and prohibit you from accessing your own personal information, said Sarah McConnomy, Chief operating officer SellCell.com, who conducted the research.
The company found the victim of a loss of USD 65 billion (IDR 1,029.2 trillion) due to fraud in 2021, which will be nearly $200 (IDR 3.1 million) for every American.
The data also shows that Texas is the state that receives the country's most robocalls, with residents receiving about 448 spam calls annually. And runners-up include Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Illinois.
Americans also received 78 billion robotext and 31 billion robocalls between January and June last year, according to a SellCell report. The report also projects that by the end of 2023, Americans could lose up to 90 billion US dollars (IDR 1,425 trillion) due to telephone fraud, but confirms that robocall accounted for 65 billion US dollars in financial losses.
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"If the callers continue to make illegal calls targeting consumers, we are ready to use every tool in our toolbox to disable it and demand that these violators take responsibility," said Chairwoman FCC, Jessica Rosenworcel.
The FCC robocall response team has issued a number of warning stops and said offenders could be sentenced to up to one year in prison, subject to a fine of US$20,000 (Rp316.7 million) for falsifying ID callers, and longer prison sentences for repeat offenders.
Phone users can experience signs that their phone has been hacked including battery drains quickly, fire or spam activity, and if the phone is running slower than usual.
Fortunately, there are steps people can take to block unwanted robocall calls and text, according to the FCC, which has designated the National Do Not Call list for home and mobile numbers.
US citizens can register their number on the Do Not Call list by calling 1-866-290-4236 from the number they want to register. They can also register their phone on the donotcall.gov.