Phone scams targeting elderly people: gang uses AI for voice cloning
A gang of fraudsters deceives elderly people by posing as employees of the power utility company DEDDIE, seizing money and jewellery. They use artificial intelligence to clone the voices of relatives.
Gang deceives elderly people with AI and fake DEDDIE employees
The phenomenon of phone scams targeting elderly people is taking on serious proportions, according to In.gr. An audio document obtained by MEGA News 104.6 reveals step by step the operational methods of an organised gang of fraudsters.
In the audio, a man presenting himself as "Lawyer Ioannis" claims to be calling from the central offices of DEDDIE and informs the elderly woman of an alleged electricity leak in her home. The unsuspecting woman is persuaded to follow his instructions.
The fraudsters ask her to place jewellery in a bag and leave it on the mat outside her apartment door. Their accomplices pass by within seconds and collect the items.
Artificial intelligence in the criminals' arsenal
The gang uses artificial intelligence to reinforce the scam. Initially they call a relative of the victim, record their voice, and then, with the help of AI, clone the voice so that it says whatever they want.
"They used my sister's voice and it sounded like she was telling my mother 'do what they're telling you'. They had called about one and a half to two hours earlier from the same number to switch provider, and essentially they recorded her voice," a victim's daughter states to MEGA.
She adds that the perpetrators kept her mother on the line for two consecutive hours, while a low-frequency hum that could be heard "probably puts the brain to sleep".
Messages tailored to the victim
Beyond voice cloning, AI allows the fraudsters to compose messages tailored to each victim, impersonating banks, public services or private companies. The combined use of psychological pressure and new technology makes these scams particularly difficult for victims to recognise.
Source: In.gr