A woman in Indore, India lost Rs 97,500 to fraudsters who used AI voice cloning technology to impersonate her cousin and convince her to transfer money for a fake medical emergency.
On January 6, 2024, Smita Sinha, who runs a small play school in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, received a call from fraudsters using AI-driven voice modulation technology to clone her cousin's voice. The caller, impersonating her cousin who works with Uttar Pradesh Police, claimed his friend needed urgent cardiac surgery at a private hospital in Indore. The fraudsters sent QR codes registered under the name of an actual doctor at the hospital, lending credibility to their story. Smita's teenage daughter helped transfer Rs 97,500 in four transactions to the provided QR codes. The fraudsters sent fake message alerts showing money being credited to Smita's account, but no actual money was transferred to her. When Smita checked her bank account after the call, she discovered the fraud. The money lost included her savings, funds for teachers' salaries, and EMI payments for a school loan. Police investigations confirmed this was likely the first case of AI-driven voice cloning fraud in Madhya Pradesh. A case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 and Information Technology Amendment Act 2000. Police suspect fraudsters conducted detailed research on targets and used AI tools to replicate voices convincingly.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to gain a personal advantage over others such as through cheating, fraud, scams, blackmail or targeted manipulation of beliefs or behavior. Examples include AI-facilitated plagiarism for research or education, impersonating a trusted or fake individual for illegitimate financial benefit, or creating humiliating or sexual imagery.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed