AI voice cloning
Risk flagTechnology that can replicate a real person's voice from a few seconds of audio and generate new speech in that voice. Criminals use cloned voices to impersonate children in fake emergency calls demanding money from grandparents, or to impersonate parents to trick teens. The FTC and FBI have both issued consumer warnings, and the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report logged over 22,000 AI-assisted fraud complaints.
Any teen with public videos on TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram has audio that can be used to clone their voice. If you receive a distressed call that sounds like your child or another family member, hang up and call them back on their normal number before taking any action. Agreeing on a family code word is the best real-time check.
Is “AI voice cloning” something to worry about?
"AI voice cloning" can be a signal worth watching in context — see the definition above for what it points to.
- Use it slightly wrong at dinner. You’ll get an eye-roll and a free vocabulary lesson.
- If you’re seeing it alongside apps you don’t recognize, run the 30-second check Is it safe? checker →