Across many of our sites – these include Internet Telephony Magazine, Cloud Computing Magazine, Future of Work, MSP Today and GenAI Today – we often write about and discuss the various benefits AI brings to businesses. But unfortunately, scammers are also aware of what can be done with AI.
For example, scammers are using sophisticated AI-powered voice cloning technologies to impersonate trusted individuals and carry out fraudulent schemes. These voice cloning techniques convincingly mimic the voices of celebrities, politicians or even close friends and family members. This makes it difficult for unsuspecting victims to detect the deception.
One common tactic employed by scammers, according to the FCC, is the "grandparent scam," where they pose as a grandchild in distress and claim to be in urgent need of financial assistance. By using AI to replicate the grandchild's voice, scammers manipulate the victim's emotions and persuade them to wire money or provide sensitive personal information.
Another prevalent scam involves soliciting donations to fake charities endorsed by what appears to be a well-known celebrity. Scammers use AI to create voice recordings that sound identical to the celebrity's voice, which lends credibility to the fraudulent charity and entice victims to contribute to the cause.
Speaking of celebrities, or other household names, with 2024 being an election year, there was concern about AI-powered voice recordings of presidential candidates, and we have seen just that.
Earlier this year, we saw reports of the New Hampshire attorney general's office investigating a potential "unlawful attempt" at voter suppression. NBC News reported “on a robocall impersonating President Joe Biden that told recipients not to vote” in the presidential primary.
Shortly after, the FCC made it illegal for robocalls to use AI-generated voices. This meant that state attorneys general have the ability to take action against callers using AI voice cloning tech.
Back to the New Hampshire attorney general's office investigation, advancements were made this week. It’s been announced that Lingo Telecom, the telecom company that transmitted the deepfake robocall of President Biden’s voice, agreed to pay $1 million to resolve an enforcement action from the FCC (News - Alert). The calls were directed by a political consultant named Steve Kramer in an attempt to interfere in the 2024 New Hampshire primary election.
“Every one of us deserves to know that the voice on the line is exactly who they claim to be,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “If AI is being used, that should be made clear to any consumer, citizen, and voter who encounters it. The FCC will act when trust in our communications networks is on the line.”
As mentioned, the company will pay a $1 million civil penalty and implement a compliance plan that requires strict adherence to the FCC’s STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication rules.
It is required that the company abide by “Know Your Customer” and “Know Your Upstream Provider” principles, which allows carriers to vet traffic and ensure it is trustworthy. There are also requirements that the company more thoroughly verifies the accuracy of the information provided by its customers and upstream providers.
Lingo Telecom also has to apply an A-level attestation, which is the highest level of trust attributed to a phone number, only to a call where Lingo Telecom itself has provided the caller ID number to the party making the call.
“This settlement is a major victory for the integrity of elections, especially for New Hampshire and its voters who were targeted,” said New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella. “By holding Lingo Telecom accountable for its role in transmitting the spoofed robocalls carrying AI-generated messages, the FCC is sending a strong message that election interference and deceptive technology will not be tolerated.”
The FCC issued a separate enforcement action in May against Kramer for initiating the robocalls. Kramer was indicted in New Hampshire on state charges of felony voter suppression and misdemeanor impersonation of a candidate. The New Hampshire Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General is handling that case. He faces a proposed $6 million fine.
“The potential combination of the misuse of generative AI voice-cloning technology and caller ID spoofing over the U.S. communications network presents a significant threat,” said Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal. “This settlement sends a strong message that communications service providers are the first line of defense against these threats and will be held accountable to ensure they do their part to protect the American public.”
This settlement is the latest in a series of actions taken by the FCC to protect consumers from AI-generated scams that mislead consumers and misinform the public. With that said, consumers need to remember that it is crucial to be aware of these scams and exercise caution when receiving unexpected calls or requests for money or personal information. The full settlement is available here.
Edited by
Alex Passett
