(WHDH) — The Better Business Bureau is warning the public of telephone scammers who are using new voice-mimicking software to create convincing voicemail messages.
So how does the scam work? The BBB posted the following information on its website:
“You get a voicemail from your boss. They are instructing you to wire thousands of dollars to a vendor for a rush project. The request is out of the blue. But it’s the boss’s orders, so you make the transfer.
“A few hours later, you see your boss and confirm that you sent the payment. But there’s one big problem; your manager has no idea what you are talking about! It turns out that the message was a fake. Scammers used new technology to mimic your boss’s voice and create the recording. This voice cloning technology has recently advanced to the place where anyone with the right software can clone a voice from a very small audio sample.”
The BBB also warned that businesses may be the first to be targeted by scammers but the technology could also be used for emergency scams, which prey on the willingness of people to send money to a friend or relative in need.
With election season now upon the United States, the BBB says scammers could use the technology to mimic candidates’ voices and drum up “donations.”
If you’ve fallen victim to this scam, click here to report it.
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