47% of Indian adults have experienced or know someone who has experienced AI voice scams, says McAfee survey

Online security firm McAfee has released a report called ‘The Artificial Imposter,’ which warns of the rise of AI technology being used to facilitate an increase in online voice scams in India. The survey, conducted in seven countries, including India, involved 7,054 participants, with 1,010 respondents from India.

The study highlights that 69% of Indians cannot differentiate between an AI voice and a real voice, and nearly half (47%) of Indian adults have either experienced or know someone who has experienced some sort of AI voice scam. 

The report suggests using a verbal codeword among family members and trusted close friends as one of the protective measures from voice scams.

Indians lose money to AI voice scams

The survey shows that about half of Indians surveyed said they cannot differentiate between the real and cloned voice of a person, while 83% of the victims of voice scams have faced the loss of money. 83% of Indian victims reported a monetary loss, with 48% losing over ₹50,000. The report warns that AI voice scams can be difficult to detect, but there are some signs to look out for, including urgency, unusual behaviour, tone of voice, and unusual requests for personal information or login credentials.

Indian adults more susceptible to AI voice scams

The survey found that 66% of the Indian respondents said they would reply to a voicemail or voice note purporting to be from a friend or loved one in need of money, particularly if they thought the request had come from their parent (46%), partner or spouse (34%), or child (12%). Messages most likely to elicit a response were those claiming that the sender had been robbed (70%), was involved in a car incident (69%), lost their phone or wallet (65%), or needed help while travelling abroad (62%).

Rise of deep fakes and disinformation

The survey also found that the rise of deep fakes and disinformation has led to people being warier of what they see online, with 27% of Indian adults saying they are now less trusting of social media than ever before and 43% being concerned over the rise of misinformation or disinformation. McAfee CTO Steve Grobman said that AI brings incredible opportunities, but with any technology, there is always the potential for it to be used maliciously in the wrong hands.