Deepfakes and Vishing: What You Need to Know to Stay Protected
Learn more about these two rapidly evolving cyber threats facing investors today.
Overview
Have you ever received a text or voice message from someone claiming to be an investment professional and requesting confidential personally identifiable information? Have you seen a video posted on social media featuring a known celebrity promoting a "fantastic" investment opportunity? Has someone who sounds like a family member called with a frantic ask for you to wire them money? Videos and calls like these might look and sound real, but they might actually be scams using deepfakes and vishing, two rapidly evolving cyber threats facing investors today.
As artificial intelligence (AI) grows in sophistication, its ability to mimic voices and likenesses has become more convincing. Deepfakes are audios or videos that are altered or fully generated by AI to convincingly imitate a real person. Vishing (voice phishing) involves scams conducted via phone or voice channels that seek to manipulate targets through real-time conversation, applying pressure to create a sense of urgency. Modern vishing can use AI-powered voice cloning created from just seconds of recorded speech harvested from social media, public interviews or other sources. The result is a hyper-realistic voice impersonation that can engage in conversations, respond intelligently and adapt in real-time.
Details
Some examples of deepfakes and vishing scams include:
Source
Originally published at www.fool.com.