AI-Powered Scammers: The Terrifying New Wave of Phishing Calls
A security expert recounts how close he came to being fooled by a new AI-based scam call that aimed to get his Gmail account details. The entire call was an AI voice, with spoofed phone numbers and email addresses making it increasingly sophisticated.A security expert, Sam Mitrovic, recently shared his experience with a sophisticated AI-based scam call that aimed to gain control of his Gmail account. The scammers used realistic AI voices and spoofed phone numbers to make the call seem legitimate.
Mitrovic received a notification to approve a Gmail account recovery attempt, followed by a missed call from Google Sydney. A week later, he received another notification and subsequently answered a call from the scammers. The caller claimed there had been suspicious activity on his account for a week.
During the call, Mitrovic asked the scammer to send an email, which they did from a non-Google domain. As the security expert noticed this discrepancy, the AI voice said 'Hello' twice, prompting Mitrovic to hang up.
Mitrovic points out that the scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated and more convincing, cautioning people to be vigilant against such attempts.