Don’t get fooled
April Fools’ Day is Saturday, April 1, but schemers and scammers are out to get your money year-round. Here are the statistics for past years and how technology is helping the swindlers.
A few things to look out and listen up for:
According to the Federal Trade Commission, scammers are making more than ever. In 2022, the number of people who got scammed was down, but the amount of money lost is estimated to be $8.8 billion, more than any year.
If that’s not bad enough, the type of scams are more diabolical too. If you’re familiar with the “Help me Grandma” scams where an impostor calls saying they need money to help a grandchild, now it’s gone high tech.
New generative artificial intelligence tools with just a snippet of someone’s voice to work with can create speech that sounds convincingly like a particular person. If thieves can find 30 seconds of your voice somewhere online such as Instagram, there’s a good chance they can clone it — and make it say anything.
How can you tell if a family member is in trouble or if it’s a scammer using a cloned voice? Don’t trust the voice. Call the person who supposedly contacted you and verify the story. Use a phone number you know is theirs. If you can’t reach your loved one, try to get in touch with them through another family member or their friends.
Other voice scams
In 2021, the FTC warned people of another scam called the Google Voice verification scam. Scammers target people who post things for sale on sites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. They also prey on people who post looking for help finding their lost pet.
The scammers contact you and say they want to buy the item you’re selling — or that they found your pet. But before they commit to buying your item, or returning your pet, they feign hesitation. They might say they’ve heard about fake online listings and want to verify that you’re a real person. Or they might say they want to verify that you’re…
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