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AI voice cloning fuels more sophisticated scams
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Technological advances in AI have brought convenience to consumers, but they’ve also created new possibilities for crime. Scammers are now using sophisticated AI algorithms to replicate voices. The use of AI in fraudulent activity has been reported around the world, becoming a growing concern for law enforcement.
This April, police in New Taipei’s Sanchong District received an alert from a bank. A 71-year-old man surnamed Lee was suspected of being scammed. He was about to transfer NT$380,000.
In an era of fraud and misinformation, Mr. Lee knew that he must first make sure of the recipient’s identity. He had done so, over the phone, and was about to proceed with the transfer.
Wang Zuo-ling
Sanchong precinct police chief
The man said he received a call from someone claiming to be his son. The call was conducted over the Line app. He said that the voice on the other end was his son’s, so he thought the person was his son.
Mr. Lee was convinced that the voice belonged to his son. But police suspected the use of an AI voice generator, which has increasingly been used for fraud around the world.
Host
60 Minutes
Tell me about the call that you got.
Susan Monahan
Victim
There was a young adult on the line, saying, “Grandma, I need your help.” In a frantic voice, scared, saying, “I was driving and suddenly there was a woman stopped in front of me and I hit her and they’re gonna take me to jail.”
In the U.S., a woman was scammed out of US$9,000, or NT$270,000. She believed it was going to her grandson to cover his bail.
In Japan, a scam group fabricated the voice of Takuro Morinaga, a well-known economist, to convince people to join a Line app group.
This is the voice of FTV weatherman Lin Jia-kai, saying things he never said.
By analyzing recordings of speech, AI can use deep-learning techniques to mimic any voice in seconds.
Hsu Chung-chieh
FTV IT department
For example, to fabricate Jia-kai’s voice, I uploaded two speech samples. What were these samples? Recordings of his weather reports. You’ll find that AI was really able to capture the unique qualities of his voice.
Liao Yuan-fu
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University professor
AI can mimic a voice using just one sentence. But although the timbre will be similar, the person’s mannerisms, such as his speech habits, can’t be fully replicated. The quality of the replication depends entirely on the data it receives. The more data you feed it, the better it will do.
Given enough data, AI can mimic a voice in any language, flawlessly capturing its timbre, tone, and natural pauses.Source from：Formosa News
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