Voice cloning
Using AI to replicate someone's voice from a small audio sample, enabling fraudsters to impersonate family members, executives, or public figures in phone calls or audio messages.
Also known as: AI voice cloning, voice synthesis fraud
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Voice cloning technology uses machine learning to synthesise a realistic copy of an individual's voice from as little as a few seconds of audio. Once cloned, the voice can say anything the attacker types, making it a powerful tool for social engineering and fraud.
Fraud use cases include family emergency scams (calling grandparents with a cloned grandchild's voice claiming to be in trouble and needing money immediately), executive impersonation in vishing attacks, and adding apparent authenticity to investment-scam audio testimonials.
Audio artifacts such as unnatural prosody, slight metallic quality, or background-noise inconsistencies can betray AI-generated voice — but quality is improving rapidly. Families can agree on a private 'safe word' that only genuine callers would know as a verification mechanism for emergency requests.