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Imagine getting a phone call from your son. His voice. His way of speaking. He sounds panicked. He says he has been in an accident, or arrested, or is stuck in a hospital overseas. He needs money urgently — and he begs you not to tell the rest of the family yet.
You would probably act immediately. Any loving parent would.
This is exactly what scammers are counting on. And with AI voice cloning, they no longer need to impersonate your son — they can sound exactly like him.
AI voice cloning tools can replicate a person's voice from just a few seconds of audio. That audio might come from a TikTok video, a YouTube clip, a voicemail, a podcast, or a social media post. The person does not need to have recorded anything long or formal — a single short video is often enough.
Once the AI has a voice sample, it can generate new speech in that voice saying anything the scammer types. The result is a phone call that sounds — to most ears, including family members — convincingly like the real person.
This technology is not experimental. It is available right now, for little or no cost, to anyone who wants to use it.
The most common use of voice cloning targets older adults. A grandparent or parent receives a call from someone who sounds exactly like their grandchild or child. The "grandchild" says they are in trouble — arrested, hospitalised, or stranded — and needs money right away. They plead for secrecy: please do not tell Mum and Dad yet.
Then a second caller gets on the line, posing as a lawyer, police officer, or hospital administrator. They explain how the money needs to be sent — usually by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency.
This scam works because it exploits the strongest instinct most people have: protecting the people they love.
Voice cloning is not the only tool. Scammers also use deepfake video — AI-generated footage that shows a real person's face and voice saying things they never said.
In New Zealand, IRD issued an official warning in March 2026 after scammers used an AI-generated image of the Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Peter Mersi, in social media advertisements promoting a fake cryptocurrency tax webinar. The ads were removed by Meta, but reappeared the following day, slightly altered. This is a documented, live NZ case.
Deepfake video calls are also used in CEO fraud — scammers impersonate a company executive on a video call and instruct a staff member to make a large payment. The technology is not yet perfect, but it is convincing enough to fool people who are not looking for it.
If you receive a call from a family member claiming to be in crisis, watch for these warning signs:
If you have been targeted, contact Netsafe on 0508 638 723. They will not judge you — they will help.

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