Voice cloning is a phenomenon currently used mainly abroad by criminals. Police and security specialists warn that it is only a matter of time before it is also used in our country to defraud unsuspecting victims. They therefore already advise parents and their children to agree on a code word in order to unmask scammers.
Voice cloning is the imitation of someone's voice using artificial intelligence. This technology has now advanced to the point where a person can hold a conversation in real time and another person's voice can be heard live. Voice cloning offers plenty of opportunities for criminals to scam people. Abroad are stories with people and organizations who have been conned into spending hundreds of thousands of dollars this way.
Jan Struijs, president of the Dutch Police Federation, is concerned about the meteoric rise of artificial intelligence. "We can hardly keep up with the developments anymore. It's really going like a rocket. From detectives I already get disturbing signals that set off all alarm bells," he says to the AD. In his eyes there is no 'plan of attack' and no vision from the government. He advocates appointing dozens of digital investigators and analysts.
The Fraude Help Desk warns that sooner or later voice cloning will gain a foothold in the Netherlands. "It's always like that with new forms of scams. It starts elsewhere, and then it slowly but surely blows our way. This is worrying, because it makes it even more difficult to distinguish what is real or fake. We hold our hearts for what is to come." The Fraud Help Desk therefore advises parents and their children to agree on a code word now.
Bureau of Youth and Families says people should use their common sense. Are you contacted by someone pretending to be your child from an unknown phone number and claiming to need money immediately? If so, alarm bells should go off immediately. "Yes, it is bizarre and horrifying that code language and these tips are necessary at all, but it is the reality in which we live today," said founder Justine Pardoen.
Henk van Ess, an expert on artificial intelligence, has his doubts about the use of code words. To the AD, he says that scammers deliberately create acute stress to increase their chances of scamming victims. For example, they come up with a sweeping story, or record traffic noise to make their voice harder to understand.
He advocates another solution: enforcing verification of a vote using smart technology. "A maximum of one vote per account combined with authentication ensures that you can still use it for legitimate purposes and prevents other people's votes from being misused," Van Ess said.
Peter de Kock, a former police officer and founder of Pandora Intelligence, a company that provides decision-support software to the police and judiciary, thinks other simple precautions are more effective in exposing scammers. Because fraudsters tend to operate according to a certain script, you can throw them off guard by asking personal questions, or starting over a completely different subject.
Bobby Markus, spokesman for the police department, says a big financial injection from the government is needed to avoid constantly being behind the times. "Criminals are becoming more inventive and digitally savvy. That worries us a lot. Manpower and money are badly needed to keep up and to cope with the developments now and in the future."
Dave Maasland, CEO of cybersecurity company ESET Netherlands, says we need to look beyond just more manpower in law enforcement. He calls for more innovation, collaboration and education. "Digital literacy is no longer optional: it is essential for our security," Maasland said. Consequently, he finds it incomprehensible that so little attention is paid to digital security in education. In his view, schools should better prepare the next generations for "the challenges of modern crime.
Experts warn that we are on the eve of a new exponential growth of cybercrime.
