FCC warns of ‘grandparent scams’ using AI to defraud elderly

• The FCC issued a consumer alert warning about advanced scam calls using AI to clone voices, often from social media videos. They aim to deceive victims into believing a loved one is in trouble and requesting money urgently.

• These calls exploit pressure and fear tactics, asking victims to send money quickly via apps, wire transfers, or gift cards while using strategies like the “don’t tell anyone” ploy to prevent skepticism.
• Elder fraud cases increased by 14% in 2023, with recent charges brought against 25 Canadian nationals accused of defrauding individuals across 45 states using similar schemes.

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Scam calls are commonplace, but elder fraud is reaching a new level of sophistication. Now, a scammer can call from a grandchild’s phone number, with a similar-sounding voice, while sharing intimate family details and begging you to bail them out of jail.

These are the tactics the Federal Communications Commission warned about in a consumer alert Friday, March 7. The announcement comes days after the U.S. attorney’s office in Vermont announced that 25 Canadian nationals are facing charges of conspiring to defraud people across 45 states using similar tactics. 

Technology allowing scammers to appear to call from a different number has been used for a number of years. New to these scams is the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, to clone a loved one’s voice by simply inputting a short video containing the person’s real voice. The AI program will then produce anything the scammers want to say with convincing similarity to the person being imitated. The FCC said a common tactic is using a social media video with their voice featured. 

“Don’t trust the voice,” the FCC consumer advisory said. “Call the person who supposedly contacted you and verify the story. Use a phone number you know is theirs.”

The same social media pages can give scammers very convincing information that an elderly person might not look at with skepticism. 

The FCC said these scam calls often use pressure and fear tactics to catch a potential victim off guard. 

“Always use caution if you are being pressured for information or to send money quickly. Scammers often try to bully victims into transferring money through a mobile payment app, by wiring money, or by purchasing gift cards or money orders,” the advisory warns.

The commission also warns of the “don’t tell anyone” ploy. Common tactics include a plea not to tell their parents or that there is a “gag order” on the arrest and telling someone about the call will lead to more trouble.

The most recent data available shows that reports of elder fraud to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center rose by 14% in 2023.