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   Deepfake scam calls are costing British victims hundreds each time - here's   
   how to stay safe   
      
   Date:   
   Sun, 02 Mar 2025 09:03:00 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Criminals are using AI deepfake calls to scam people, here's what you need to   
   know.   
      
   FULL STORY   
   ======================================================================   
    - Deepfake calls are claiming thousands of victims, report finds   
    - Up to 10% of spam calls are fraudulent   
    - The top scam for British victims was fake HMRC calls   
      
   AI deepfake fraud calls are dominating the scam landscape, and are costing   
   British consumers millions of pounds.    
      
   A new report from Hiya has detailed the rising risk and deepfake voice scams   
   in the UK and abroad, noting how the rise of generativeAI means deepfakes are   
   more convincing than ever, and attackers can leverage them more frequently    
   too - even going as far as to target businesses and C-suite executives,    
   making deepfakes one of 2024s biggest cybersecurity dangers .    
      
   AI lowers the barriers for criminals to commit fraud, and makes scamming   
   victims easier, faster, and more effective, and the average successful   
   fraudulent call costs the British victim 595  - so heres what the report   
   reveals.   
      
   Billions of calls    
      
   Hiya says it flagged 11.3 billion global suspected spam calls in Q4 alone in   
   2024, - 123 million calls per day. Of these, 22% were marked as nuisance   
   calls, and 9% were fraudulent - which may not sound like much, but it means   
   one in ten unexpected calls could cost you hundreds if youre not careful.    
      
   A survey confirmed 26% of UK residents have received voice deepfake calls in   
   the last 12 months - and of those, 40% reported being scammed, 35% reported   
   losing money, and 32% had personal information stolen.    
      
   The subject of these was primarily financial and banking scams, making up 11%   
   of the deepfakes, followed closely by insurance, holiday booking, delivery   
   service impersonations (all 8% each).    
      
   Overall, Global Anti-Scam Alliance estimates a staggering $1.03 trillion was   
   lost to scams worldwide in 2024 - and deepfakes are slowly becoming one of    
   the tools of choice for criminals.    
      
   As we reflect on the last quarter of 2024, it is apparent that AI-powered   
   fraud is becoming more sophisticated than ever, posing a serious threat to   
   consumers and businesses alike," said Alex Algard, CEO of Hiya.    
      
   The top scam in the UK was an impersonation of Her Majestys Revenue and   
   Customs (HMRC) - in which victims are told that a criminal case is being    
   taken out against them for tax fraud, and even an arrest warrant has been   
   issued in their name.    
      
   This type of fraud aims to panic victims, convincing them that they are in   
   trouble - urging them to hand over bank details, financial information, or   
   personally identifiable information (PII).    
      
   It's important to note that even if the only thing a scammer gets access to    
   is your personal data, this still leaves you at a serious risk of identity   
   theft , as criminals will take out loans, credit cards, or bank accounts in   
   your name.   
      
   How to protect yourself    
      
   The report comes shortly after another recent study showed when 2000 people   
   were shown deepfake content, only two of them managed to get a perfect score    
   - so everyone should be on their guard.    
      
    Deepfakes are essentially social engineering scams - the natural evolution    
   of phishing attacks, which often impersonate banks, popular services,   
   colleagues, or even family to try and trick victims into clicking malicious   
   links, scanning dangerous QR codes, or handing over their personal details.    
      
   Voice and video deepfakes are arguably more dangerous though, as they can be   
   seriously convincing. We recommend establishing a safe word with your family   
   and close friends (anyone who might feasibly call you in an emergency) - so   
   that you can be confident that youre speaking to who you think.    
      
   Outside of friends and family, be very wary of any call from someone claiming   
   to be your bank, or a software firm, or any company with services you use   
   regularly. If your bank or HMRC calls, search up their number, call it, and   
   ask to be transferred through to the same person.    
      
   Dont give your information over to someone over the phone, and make sure you   
   change your passwords regularly, and keep unique passwords for every site    
   that holds sensitive information.   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/deepfake-scam-calls-are-costing-british   
   -victims-hundreds-each-time   
      
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