Because his wife was actually at home with him, the scammer reportedly asked for a credit card to pay for gas, but the man quickly realised something was wrong.
Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has reacted to a chilling account of a suspected AI voice scam after an X (formerly Twitter) user said a caller sounded almost exactly like his wife. The X user named Abomination, shared the incident on the platform, saying the voice sounded like his wife but had a “weird cadence”. He said he believed it could have been a voice deepfake or voice filter.
He also suggested using verbal passwords with children and family members so that a caller can be verified before money or sensitive information is shared.
“It is a good idea to come up with “verbal passwords” for close friends and family, so that we don’t fall for these very convincing deep fake calls like the one mentioned below,” Vembu said adding “Sadly, AI is so advanced that we cannot tell real from fake easily anymore”. The man received a call from someone claiming to be his wife, according to the post. The caller said she had forgotten her wallet and needed a credit card to pay for gas. He said the caller sounded “100%” like his wife, although the voice had a slightly unusual rhythm. He said the responses came very quickly, leading him to believe that it could have been a voice filter rather than a fully AI-generated conversation. “I wish I had thought to record it,” he said.
The post caught the attention of Sridhar Vembu, who reacted to the account. The Zoho founder’s response came as concerns over AI deepfakes and voice cloning scams continue to grow. However, his wife was sitting at home with him at the time. The man also noted that she drives a Tesla, making the request even more suspicious. The man decided to continue the conversation to learn more about the scam. In the X post, the user urged people to warn their loved ones about the possibility of such scams. Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.