Northumberland County Council has warned residents to report suspicious phone calls following the rise of a new scam that uses AI-generated voice cloning.
The National Trading Standards (NTS) revealed earlier this month that criminals are carrying out sophisticated scams disguised as ‘lifestyle survey’ phone calls, through which they can gather personal, health and financial data about people.
According to the organisation, the information collected is used by criminals to create AI-generated voice clones and set up unauthorised direct debit payments to banks and financial providers, unbeknownst to the victims.
Almost 21 million scam calls have been blocked and 2,000 numbers shut down by the NTS over the last six months. However, Northumberland County Council has warned that while the NTS teams are taking great efforts to stop criminals, the public must still remain alert.
In a statement today, the council reminded the public to report any suspicious activity, treat unexpected calls with ‘great caution’, and discuss the risks with loved ones.
Cllr Gordon Stewart, Cabinet Member for Public Safety, provided reassurance that voice cloning scams have not yet taken place in the county, but reinforced that residents ‘need to be extra vigilant and keep one step ahead of the scammers.’
He added: ‘Scammers are always looking for new ways to prey on the public and this latest fraud shows how sophisticated the scams can be - making it hard to distinguish between real and fraudulent interactions.’
As part of the recommended safety measures, the council has advised residents to refrain from disclosing financial information over the phone, to sign up to the Telephone Preference Service to prevent unsolicited marketing and sales attempts from legitimate companies, to install a call blocker for nuisance calls, and to use the call checking website ‘Who Called Me’ to identify if the number has previously targeted other people.
The council also confirmed that it can supply a limited amount of call blocking devices to vulnerable or elderly residents in Northumberland, as well as providing an email address to contact if a vulnerable or elderly family member is being bothered on the phone.
Louise Baxter, Head of the National Trading Standards Scams Team, said: ‘What we’re seeing is a deeply disturbing combination of old and new: traditional phone scams supported by disturbing new techniques.’
She added: ‘This is no longer just a nuisance – it’s a coordinated, sophisticated operation targeting some of the most situationally vulnerable consumers in society. We urge everyone to speak to friends and relatives about scam calls, check bank statements regularly and report anything suspicious.’
