“Hi Mom”: The AI scam that clones your family’s voice on WhatsApp

You receive a call from an unknown number. It's your son's voice, desperately asking for money for an emergency. But it's not him. It's an artificial intelligence. This is how the terrifying new WhatsApp scam works, one that has already cost its victims thousands of euros.

Trust in the voice of a loved one is one of the pillars of human communication. However, a sophisticated new scam is using artificial intelligence (AI) to undermine that trust, with devastating consequences. Cybercriminals can now clone a family member's voice and use it in WhatsApp calls to urgently request money, a social engineering tactic that exploits our deepest vulnerabilities.

The technology behind this deception is generative voice AI. Advanced tools, like OpenAI's Voice Engine, only need a few seconds of audio sample to create a digital replica of a voice that sounds natural and convincing.

But where do criminals get this voice sample? The answer is alarming and directly connected to a widespread habit: "sharenting," that is, sharing photos, videos, and audio clips from our lives and those of our children on social networks like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. A simple "happy birthday" video, a forwarded voice note, or an Instagram story can be enough for scammers to capture the audio needed to feed their cloning algorithms. Unwittingly, many users are creating a free, public voice database that facilitates these types of crimes.

The scam, a form of vishing (voice phishing), is carried out with calculated psychological precision:

* The Unexpected Call: The victim receives a call or a WhatsApp message from an unknown number.

* The Familiar Voice: When you answer, you'll hear a voice you instantly recognize as that of a son, daughter, grandchild, or partner. The AI-generated voice sounds distressed or rushed.

* The Excuse and the Urgency: The scammer, using the cloned voice, invents a believable emergency: "Mom, my cell phone broke, this is my new number," followed by an urgent request for money to pay a fine, a repair, or a bail.

* The Transfer: Appealing to panic and the protective instinct, they pressure the victim to make an immediate transfer, generally through services such as Bizum or similar platforms.

Authorities such as the National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) in Spain and the FBI in the United States have already issued warnings about this modality, following numerous cases involving significant financial losses.

"Hi! I can't call you, send me a text at this number..." This was the exact phrase, in her husband's cloned voice, that a user who reported the case to the authorities received.

Protecting yourself from this scam doesn't require technical knowledge, but rather caution and a simple family agreement.

Set a "code word" or security question: Agree with your family on a secret word or question that only you and your loved ones know. If you receive a suspicious call, ask for that code word. A scammer won't be able to answer it.
Be suspicious and hang up: If you have the slightest doubt, hang up. Pressure and urgency are the scammer's main tools.
Check through another means: Immediately call your relative's usual phone number to confirm the situation. Do not contact them through the unknown number that contacted you.
Never share verification codes: Voicemail scams can be the first step toward stealing your WhatsApp account. Never share the 6-digit code you receive via SMS.
Enable two-step verification on WhatsApp: Go to Settings > Account > Two-Step Verification and set a 6-digit PIN. This adds a crucial layer of security to protect your account.

If you have unfortunately fallen victim to this scam, act immediately:

Contact your bank: Report the fraudulent transaction so they can try to block it and secure your accounts.
Report to the authorities: File a report with the National Police or the Civil Guard with all the details you can provide (phone number, details of the conversation, transfer information).
Alert your contacts: Let your family and friends know that you or a family member's identity has been stolen to prevent them from falling for it.