That voicemail from your boss could be a fake
- Kim Thompson: Better Business Bureau
- February 26, 2020
- 1487
Everyone knows to be on the lookout for phony emails, especially at work. Scammers can easily make messages that appear to come from anywhere, from your boss’ account to the office printer. But what about voicemail? New voice-mimicking software is now being used by scammers to create convincing voicemail messages.
You get a voicemail from your boss. They are instructing you to wire thousands of dollars to a vendor for a rush project. The request is out of the blue. But it’s the boss’ orders, so you make the transfer.
A few hours later you see your boss and confirm you sent the payment. But there’s one big problem: Your manager has no idea what you are talking about. It turns out the message was a fake. Scammers used new technology to mimic your boss’ voice and create the recording. This voice-cloning technology has recently advanced to the place where anyone with the right software can clone a voice from a very small audio sample.
Businesses may be the first places to see this con, but it likely won’t stop there. The technology also could be used for emergency scams, which prey on people’s willingness to send money to a friend or relative in need. Also with the U.S. now in the midst of the 2020 election season, scammers could use the technology to mimic candidates’ voices and drum up “donations.”
Secure accounts: Set up multi-factor authentication for email logins and other changes in email settings. Be sure to verify changes in information about customers, employees or vendors.
Train staff: Create a secure culture at your office by training employees on internet security. Make it a policy to confirm all changes and payment requests before making a transfer. Don’t rely on email or voicemail.
To learn about other kinds of scams, go to www.BBB.org/ScamTips. If you have been the victim of a scam, make others aware by filing a report on www.BBB.org/ScamTracker.
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