AI Voice Cloning Scams at Work, How to Verify a Call

A voice message from your manager asking you to move a payment quickly used to be convincing because it sounded like your manager. That is no longer proof of anything. The FBI has issued public warnings that criminals use generative AI to clone voices, fake video calls and write polished messages, specifically to make impersonation scams more believable. The defense is not a better ear for fakes. It is a habit of verifying through a channel the scammer does not control.

1. What the FBI says criminals are doing

In a December 2024 public service announcement, the FBI warned that generative AI lets criminals commit fraud on a larger scale and makes their schemes more believable, while reducing the time and effort needed to deceive people. The FBI also points out that AI can fix the human errors, such as clumsy grammar, that used to give fraud away.

The alert describes several techniques:

• Cloned audio. Criminals can use AI-generated audio to impersonate public figures or personal contacts and request payments. The FBI also describes criminals using AI-generated audio clips of individuals to get into bank accounts by impersonating them.
• Fake video. The FBI says criminals generate videos for real-time video chats with supposed company executives, law enforcement or other authority figures, and create videos to "prove" an online contact is a real person.
• Polished text. AI writes believable messages faster, translates for foreign criminals to remove spelling and grammar mistakes, and helps build fake websites.
• Fake images and documents. AI-generated profile photos and fraudulent identification documents, such as fake driver's licenses or credentials, support impersonation schemes.

2. Impersonating senior officials

A May 2025 FBI alert described an ongoing campaign, active since April 2025, in which criminals impersonated senior US officials using text messages and AI-generated voice messages. Many targets were current or former government officials and their contacts.

The pattern is a useful lesson for any workplace. The messages aimed to build rapport first, then send a link that supposedly moved the conversation to a different messaging platform. That link was the trap, a way to gain access to personal accounts. Once an account is compromised, the FBI warns, the contacts inside it can be used to impersonate more people and request information or money.

The FBI's direct advice: if you receive a message claiming to be from a senior US official, do not assume it is authentic. The same logic applies to a message that claims to come from your CEO, finance director or a major client.

3. Why "listen carefully" is not enough

Both alerts suggest listening closely to tone and word choice, and looking for flaws in images and video such as distorted hands, irregular faces, odd shadows, lag and voice mismatches. But the May 2025 alert is also frank that a cloned voice and a real one can sound nearly identical, and that AI-generated content has advanced to the point that it is often difficult to identify.

So treat spotting flaws as a bonus. Verification is the real control.

4. A verification routine for work

These steps come from the FBI's recommendations, adapted to an office setting:

1. Hang up and call back on a number you already have. The FBI advises verifying a caller by hanging up, independently finding the contact details of the person or organization, and calling directly. Use the company directory or a number saved before the request, not one provided in the message.
2. Confirm new contact details through an old channel. If someone you know contacts you from a new number or platform, the FBI recommends verifying it through a previously confirmed platform or trusted source.
3. Be suspicious of a move to another app. A request to "continue on" a different messaging platform via a link is the exact tactic described in the May 2025 alert.
4. Pause on any money or credential request. The FBI advises independently confirming contact information before sending money, and critically evaluating whether the request makes sense in context.
5. Never share a two-factor code. The FBI warns that scammers use social engineering to obtain these codes, and advises never giving one out over email, text or messaging apps.
6. Agree on a verification phrase. The FBI suggests a secret word or phrase with family members; teams that handle payments can apply the same idea by agreeing on a verification step for urgent requests.
7. Limit voice and video samples where you can. The FBI suggests limiting the online content of your image or voice and keeping social accounts private where possible, since that material can be used to build fakes.

5. If you think you were targeted

Report it to your security team right away. The FBI asks victims to report to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov or a local FBI field office, with as much detail as possible, including how contact started, what was requested and any payment details.

6. Key takeaways

• The FBI warns that criminals use AI-generated voices, real-time fake video and polished messages to impersonate executives, officials and contacts.
• A cloned voice can sound nearly identical to the real person, so recognition is not verification.
• Hang up and call back using contact details you already trust, not ones in the message.
• Treat requests to switch to a new messaging app, send money or share a two-factor code as red flags.
• Report suspected attempts to your security team and to ic3.gov.