Surge in AI-generated deepfake voice scams targets consumers globally
A global survey found that over one billion fraudulent calls occurred in Q4 2024, with deepfake voice scams targeting consumers across multiple countries. Between 25% and 45% of consumers in surveyed regions reported exposure to deepfake calls, with significant financial losses reported.
What happened
Global consumers encountered over one billion fraudulent calls in Q4 2024, according to a Hiya survey of 12,000 consumers and analysis of its Voice Intelligence Network. AI-powered deepfake technology was used to generate highly convincing voice calls targeting consumers.
The most common deepfake call types related to banking/financial (11%), followed by insurance, holiday bookings and delivery services (all 8%). Deepfake calls impersonating Amazon dominated Canadian scams, while Medicare scams led in the US and HMRC scams in the UK.
Reported impact
A quarter of Brits and 31% of Americans reported exposure to deepfake calls. Of those exposed, 40% of Brits and 45% of Americans said they fell for a deepfake call, with 35% and 34% respectively claiming they lost money.
Voice-based fraud costs Americans an average of $539, rising to £595 ($751) in the UK, CA$1,479 ($1,037) in Canada and €1,089 ($1,141) in France. Additionally, 32% of those exposed reported personal information was stolen.
Index analysis
A 2023 UCL study found humans could not distinguish deepfake speech from real human voice samples 27% of the time, indicating a significant vulnerability to this attack vector.
Spam call volumes varied significantly by country: Germans received an average of three spam calls per month while those in Brazil and Chile averaged 28. Canadians received six spam calls monthly while Americans received 15.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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