Deepfakes and voice-clone scams: how to spot them

What has changed

Phone and online fraud is not new in Pakistan. What is new is that AI makes it far more convincing. With a few seconds of someone's voice, taken from a WhatsApp voice note, a video or a phone call, software can now produce speech that sounds like that person. This is voice cloning. The same technology can make a fake video of a real person saying things they never said. This is a deepfake.

You do not need to understand the technology. You need to know the tricks.

The scams to watch for

• The family emergency call. You get a call or voice note that sounds exactly like your son, daughter, brother or parent. They are crying or panicking: there has been an accident, an arrest, a kidnapping. They need money sent right now and beg you not to tell anyone.
• The fake official. A caller claims to be from a bank, a mobile network, the police or a government office. They know your name and some details. They ask for a code sent to your phone, your card number or a "verification" payment.
• The fake celebrity or leader video. A video shows a famous person or public figure promoting an investment scheme, a giveaway or a loan app. The face and voice look real. The offer is not.
• The fake picture used for blackmail. Criminals create false, compromising images of a person and threaten to share them unless money is paid.

Warning signs

• Pressure to act immediately, before you can think or ask anyone
• A request to keep it secret
• Payment by unusual methods: mobile wallet transfers to unknown numbers, gift cards, cryptocurrency
• A request for a one-time code (OTP), PIN or password. No real bank or official will ever ask for these
• Small oddities: the voice sounds slightly flat, the person avoids questions only they could answer, the video face blurs at the edges or the lips do not quite match the words

What to do in the moment

1. Pause. Scams work by rushing you. A real emergency can survive a two-minute check.
2. Hang up and call back on the number you already have saved for that person or organisation. Not the number that called you.
3. Ask a question only the real person would know, or use a family code word (see below).
4. Never share an OTP, PIN or password, whoever is asking.
5. Do not send money until you have confirmed the story through a second, independent route.

Agree a family code word

Choose a simple word or phrase that everyone in your family knows and that never appears online. If someone calls in distress asking for money, ask for the code word. A cloned voice will not know it. This is especially worth setting up with elderly parents, who are often targeted.

If you have been targeted

• Money sent or bank details shared: call your bank immediately on the number printed on the back of your card or on its official website and ask them to block the transaction or account. For problems with banks or mobile wallets you can also contact the State Bank of Pakistan helpline on 111 727 273.
• Report the crime: call the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) cybercrime helpline on 1799.
• Fraudulent calls or messages: report them to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) through its complaint portal or its complaint management app.
• Keep evidence: screenshots, phone numbers, voice notes, transaction IDs and times. Do not delete them.

There is no shame in being targeted. These scams fool careful, educated people. Reporting them quickly gives the best chance of stopping the money and protecting others.