Sad reason The FBI is urging people to create ‘code words’ in their families
Topics: Crime, Technology, US News
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: Getty stock image
Topics: Crime, Technology, US News
The FBI is warning families to create a secret code word, and the reason is concerning.
There are some things that only family should know, and according to the Federal Bureau, this includes a particular word.
Now, there are other times where this comes in handy.
For example, you may have to use a secret word, for example, at your child’s nursery, to pass along to those who will be picking up your child in the future to let them know that this is a safe person, but when it comes to family? There’s seldom a reason for such secrecy.
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However, technological advancements mean that you can no longer be sure you’re talking to your relative.
This is because there are now AI-powered, deepfake, voice-enabled smartphone phishing attacks being used right now which will come to your phone in the form of a phone call.
This call will appear as though it’s a relative calling you, and their voice will be spot on too.
So, you’ll have no idea that you’re being scammed until you reap the consequences.
This sad fact means that you can't even trust your nearest and dearest of being real people when they call you.
The FBI states: “Criminals can use AI-generated audio to impersonate well-known public figures or personal relations to elicit payments.”
On top of that, they ‘generate short audio clips containing a loved one's voice to impersonate a close relative in a crisis situation, asking for immediate financial assistance or demanding a ransom’.
After demanding money, ‘criminals obtain access to bank accounts using AI-generated audio clips of individuals and impersonating them’.
Honestly, it’s very scary that this can even happen to a person using technology.
The FBI has advised that if this happens, you should hang up and attempt to verify the identity of the person calling you by looking up the number and seeing what pops up in the results.
But on top of this, you should also create a secret word or phrase that is only known to you and your family and contacts so that you can use this for identification purposes in future cases.
The full list of things you can do to protect yourself as per the FBI includes: “Create a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity.
“Listen closely to the tone and word choice to distinguish between a legitimate phone call from a loved one and an AI-generated vocal cloning.
“Verify the identity of the person calling you by hanging up the phone, researching the contact of the bank or organization purporting to call you, and call the phone number directly.”
They also advise not to send money to anyone asking over the phone, nor share your sensitive details with them.
So, even if you really believe that this is a family member calling from a different mobile phone during a crisis, you should still follow these steps to make sure that everything is legit.
Otherwise, you could find yourself on the receiving end of a nasty phishing scam which could take your money and your assets.