AI Scams: Voice Cloning, Deepfakes and Your Family

Artificial intelligence has not invented new scams. It has made the old ones harder to see through. The panicked call from a grandchild now uses a voice that really sounds like your grandchild. The fake police officer can appear on a video call in uniform. The “friend” you met online has a perfect photo, and their messages no longer contain the spelling mistakes that used to give scammers away.

This guide explains how criminals are using AI, what officials say to watch for, and the simple family habits that defeat even a perfect fake.

How are criminals using AI in scams?

Criminals use AI to write convincing messages, create fake photos, clone voices and fake live video. In a December 2024 public service announcement, the FBI described these four ways criminals use generative AI to commit fraud:

• Text. AI writes believable messages quickly, translates them without grammar or spelling errors, creates large numbers of fake social media profiles, and powers chatbots on fraudulent websites.
• Images. AI creates realistic photos for fake profiles used in romance and investment scams, fake ID cards and law enforcement credentials, celebrity images promoting fake products, and pictures of disasters for fake charities.
• Audio (voice cloning). Criminals produce short clips in a loved one’s voice to pretend to be a relative in a crisis and demand money or a ransom. They also use cloned voices to try to get into bank accounts.
• Video. AI generates videos for real-time video chats with fake company executives, police and other authority figures, and creates misleading promotional videos for investment schemes.

The FBI has since reported more examples. In September 2026 it warned that scammers impersonating law enforcement and government officials use AI to appear as officials on video calls. CISA, the federal cybersecurity agency, notes that poor grammar used to be a clue to phishing — but AI can now produce flawless messages.

How does voice cloning change the grandparent scam?

The classic version still works the same way: a call from a young relative who has been in an accident or arrested, a request for secrecy, and a second voice claiming to be a lawyer or court official who needs money right now. The Federal Communications Commission says scammers mine social media for names and details, may fake the caller ID, and can now clone the voices of loved ones to make the call more believable.

EXAMPLE — SCAM

Today 11:47 PM●●● ▮

Incoming call (305) 555-0188

Caller (sounding like a grandson): Grandma? It’s me. I’m in big trouble. I was in a car accident and the police say it was my fault.

Caller: Please don’t tell Mom and Dad, they’ll kill me. My lawyer is here — he’ll explain.

Second voice (“lawyer”): Ma’am, your grandson needs $6,500 for bail today. A courier can come to your house to collect the cash. This is a confidential court matter, so please don’t discuss it with anyone.

The FTC explains that a scammer needs only a short recording of your family member’s voice — which could come from a video posted online — and a voice-cloning program. That is why “it sounded exactly like him” is no longer proof of anything.

Can scammers fake a video call from an official?

Yes. Video used to feel like proof. Not anymore. According to the FBI, AI can generate real-time video of fake executives, police officers and other authority figures. Scammers who impersonate law enforcement accuse victims of a crime, threaten arrest, and demand payment by prepaid card, courier, wire, cryptocurrency or cash inserted into a crypto kiosk.

The FBI’s message is clear: law enforcement and government authorities will never contact the public by phone or text to demand any form of payment or to ask for personal or sensitive information, and they will never ask for payment by prepaid card, cryptocurrency or courier.

How do AI-generated photos power romance and investment scams?

AI-generated photos and videos also help scammers build long online relationships. The FBI says criminals send private photos and videos to convince victims that their online contact is a real person, and create fake promotional videos for investment schemes. If someone you have never met in person brings up money, investing or cryptocurrency, stop — no matter how real their pictures look. Our guides on romance scams and trading scams explain what comes next.

How much are AI scams costing older Americans?

In its 2025 annual report, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center began tagging complaints as “AI related.” That year, people 60 and older filed 3,143 such complaints and reported about $352 million in losses. Because many people never report, the real figure is likely higher.

Can you spot a fake?

Sometimes. The FBI suggests looking and listening for:

• distorted hands or feet, unrealistic teeth or eyes, or faces that look indistinct or irregular;
• strange accessories such as glasses or jewelry, shadows that do not make sense, or watermarks;
• lag time, voices that do not quite match, and unnatural movements;
• a tone or choice of words that does not sound like the person you know.

But do not rely on spotting flaws. AI keeps improving. The habits below work no matter how good the fake is.

What habits protect your family from AI scams?

1. Hang up and call back. Every agency gives the same advice: do not trust the voice or the face. End the call and contact the person or organization using a number you already have or look up yourself. A real emergency will still be real five minutes later.

2. Use a family safe word. The FBI and FCC both recommend choosing a secret word or phrase that only your family knows. Agree on it at the next family dinner or phone call, and never post it online.

3. Share less in public. The FBI suggests limiting how many images and voice recordings of yourself you post, making social media accounts private, and limiting followers to people you know. Less public material means less for a scammer to copy.

4. Never pay someone you have only met online or by phone. The FBI’s advice: do not send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency or other assets to people you do not know or have met only online or over the phone.

Are AI voice calls illegal?

The FCC says AI-generated voice calls are illegal unless you have agreed to receive them or the caller is exempt. That will not stop criminals, but it means AI robocalls can be reported. Report scam calls and texts to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and online fraud — including AI-assisted scams — to the FBI at IC3.gov.

If you are an adult child reading this, consider calling your parents today to set up a safe word, and share this article with them using the button below.

For the classic phone version of this scam, see grandparent scams: how they work and what to say, and to prepare your family, see our guide to grandparent and family emergency scams. If money was already sent, follow our first-hour checklist after a scam and see how to report a scam call.