Voice cloning fraud ring targets families in Sonora using AI
Criminals in Sonora, Mexico are using AI voice cloning technology to forge convincing audio impersonations of family members and steal WhatsApp accounts to conduct financial fraud. The state's cybercrime unit issued a public warning on January 28, 2025, with protective measures for citizens.
What happened
Criminals in Sonora are using AI voice cloning programs to extract voice samples from internet videos or pre-recorded calls and generate realistic audio messages, according to a warning from the Cyber Unit of Sonora's Public Security Secretariat (SSP) on January 28, 2025.
The fraudsters steal WhatsApp accounts by obtaining the victim's phone number, requesting account registration on another device, and once in control, contact family members and friends using cloned voices to request money convincingly.
Reported impact
The SSP warned that citizens are being targeted by this fraud scheme that combines voice cloning and WhatsApp account theft to make the deception more credible.
Governance controls
The SSP issued recommendations including establishing security questions or code words between family members, verifying authenticity through alternative means, and exercising caution when sharing WhatsApp verification codes.
The SSP advised keeping devices updated, using strong passwords, enabling multifactor authentication, blocking the phone number used for the fraud, and reporting incidents to the Cyber Unit.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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