Attorney General Kwame Raoul is warning Illinois residents to be aware of phone scammers potentially using artificial intelligence to mimic the voice of a loved one.

Scammers have long used the ploy of claiming that a loved one is in trouble to convince people to send a payment or share personal information.

Criminals now are using AI technology to mimic the voice of a victim’s family member, so it sounds as if the person who is calling needs help, according to a news release from the attorney general’s office.

The technology allows scammers to use snippets of audio, which often are readily available through videos posted to social media accounts, to clone voices for scam calls.

“These criminals are very good and convincing at what they do,” Raoul said. “Their goal is to catch you off guard, scare you into sending payment and disappear before you realize what happened.

“Getting a call from what sounds like a family member in distress is upsetting, but you may not be able to trust the identity of the voice on the line. Take a deep breath, slow down, and take steps to confirm the identity of the caller, especially if they are pushing you to send a payment or disclose personal information.”

If a caller’s identity is uncertain, Raoul advised hanging up and calling back on a number confirmed to be theirs.

Families also can choose a code word or phrase that they can use to identify each other, according to the release.

When choosing a code word, it is important that it is not shared externally or based on information that is publicly available or posted to social media, Raoul’s office said.

Although the attorney general’s office has not received direct reports of AI scams targeting Illinois residents, Raoul is urging people to be on the lookout for this new evolution of a common scam.

Rising trend

Scams using AI have been identified as a rising threat to consumers.

Raoul identified some red flags that consumers should be on the lookout for to avoid common scams.

Scammers come to you. They may send you an unsolicited email or text message, call you or knock on your door. Be wary if someone you didn’t contact is reaching out to sell you something or asking for personal information.

Scammers pressure you to act quickly. Their goal is to get you to send payment before you get a chance to think about it or discuss it with a trusted family member or friend.

Scammers want your personal information. They may claim to be with the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Postal Service, your electric provider, a bank or anyone you might trust. If you are a customer, these entities already have your information and don’t need you to provide it. If they are legitimate, they have specific and familiar ways to contact you or request payment.

Scammers want you to pay in unusual ways. They may ask you to buy a gift card and read the numbers, wire money, set up a cryptocurrency account or use a peer-to-peer app to send money directly to them. Once you read the numbers from the card, wire the money or hit send on that peer-to-peer app, it is almost impossible for you to get the money back.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers often make you an offer that sounds too good to be true, then use that bait to ask for an upfront payment or personal information before they can “close” the deal.

If you believe you have been the victim of fraud, Raoul encourages you to file a complaint on the Illinois Attorney General’s Office website. You also can call one of the office’s consumer fraud hotlines at 800-386-5438 (Chicago) or 800-243-0618 (Springfield).