PERSPECTIVES FROM THE CAMPUS
One of the strengths of Indiana is that we bring together a variety of perspectives from the plethora of areas that touch the field of cyber, especially through the colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher education throughout our state. Hence the name, “Perspectives from the Campus”, we invite experts – immersed in the pursuit of educating their students – to offer their knowledge for finding solutions in cybersecurity that benefit all Hoosiers.
In the latest installment of this series, David Dungan, who serves as the executive director at the Center for Security Services and Cyber Defense at Anderson University, discusses why it’s so easy to clone someone’s voice and the steps we can take to protect ourselves from would-be cybercriminals and scammers from using “our own words” to try and steal our identities and our money.
By David Dungan
Did you know that you can precisely clone your voice in 3 minutes? No credit card is required.
What’s more, a voice can be cloned in as little 3 to 10 seconds.
So, if it’s that easy, you might not be surprised to learn that the financial impact of generative AI fraud losses could reach $40 billion in the U.S. by 2027, or that, earlier this year, the average daily number of robocalls made in the U.S. was 136.8 million.
The fact is, humans have left a huge digital audio footprint through podcasts, social media, and online videos. Scammers are making use of automation, allowing them to use customized and convincing calls in parallel.
High Success Rates of Vishing
Voice phishing, or “vishing,” has a devastatingly high impact. Studies show that 77% of AI-powered voice phishing victims lost money, often thousands of dollars. Experts indicate that soon, voice cloning will be so advanced that human ears will not be able to reliably tell the difference. Scammers specifically use AI to generate voices that sound panicked or desperate, which, in turn, triggers an emotional response rather than a logical one.
The Impact of Compromise and Common Targets
The financial damage of these attacks isn’t limited to individuals; the impact on organizations is equally staggering.
Roughly 70% of organizations have fallen victim to a voice phishing attack, and global losses from deepfake-enabled fraud surpassed 200 million in 2025 alone. In the corporate world, executive impersonations via AI have led to massive single incident losses, including a reported 25-million-dollar transfer authorized by a deepfake in 2025.
These attackers do not discriminate, but their most common targets include:
- Elderly
- Organizations (of all sizes)
- Finance staff
- Social media users
What to Look For: Indicators of a Scam
How can you tell if the voice on the other end is real? Here are some key indicators:
- Extreme urgency or fear: caller demands immediate money, often for bail or a medical emergency.
- Refusal to disconnect: The caller will try to keep you on the line, or they’ll refuse to let you hang up to verify the story.
- Untraceable payment methods: They may request payment via gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers.
- Audio anomalies: During longer conversations, some clones may have odd pauses or a robotic tone.
Shielding Thyself: Verification and Prevention
The following are some prevention methods to help you stay safe:
- Hang up – verify the identity of the caller and call them directly on their known phone number.
- Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – it will help protect your accounts even if a scammer gets your information.
- Adjust privacy settings on social media accounts, to limit the audio samples scammers can scrape.
We are, truly, in the age of the wonders and woes, where your voice, your family’s voices or those of your co-workers may be used for these scams.
With that in mind, it’s perfectly OK to rely on your instincts to trust and verify whose ‘voice’ you are hearing on the other end of the line -- especially when it comes to protecting your identity, ensuring your safety and the safety of others or your money.
With apologies to a guy named Shakespeare, to be scammed or not be scammed, that is the question. Fortunately, there’s an opportunity – in following these helpful tips – to write a happier ending for everyone (except for the scammer).