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SecurityQuiet 10d · day 11

Voice cloning scams surge as AI tools become cheaper, more accessible

Scammers are using affordable deepfake technology to impersonate loved ones and steal personal information and money.

newest coverage 10d agosummary written 9d ago5 pieces NewswiresGoogle NewsRedditMastodon

What to know

  • Voice cloning scams are accelerating: NordVPN found sales pitches for voice cloning services rose sevenfold in two years on dark web forums, with criminals using cloned voices to impersonate family members and extract money or personal information.
  • Technology is now affordable and accessible: Hacked AI accounts and voice cloning tools are bundled into criminal toolkits sold for as little as $8–$150, allowing non-technical users to launch large-scale scam campaigns.
  • Cloned voices are nearly indistinguishable: Voice cloning quality has advanced to the point where humans can no longer reliably detect the audio artifacts that previously made deepfakes identifiable.
  • Americans lost $148.2 billion to digital crimes in 2025 alone, a 25% year-over-year increase, with voice cloning scams now a significant component of that threat.

“Every message, every video, every call. Get it wrong once and that is the one that counts. Nobody holds that standard across a lifetime, and most security advice assumes they will.”

Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN · Mashable ↗

Marijus Briedis CTO at NordVPNEyal Elazar Head of (role incomplete in source)NordVPN Digital security company

Voice cloning scams surge as AI tools become cheaper, more accessible
mashable.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 1 piece in 3h at Nov 1, 4 AM; 5 pieces over 11 days (2 articles · 2 posts · 1 comment) Nov 1, 4 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Nov 1, 7 AM — quietNov 1, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Nov 1, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Nov 1, 4 PM — quietNov 1, 7 PM — quietNov 1, 10 PM — quietNov 2, 1 AM — quietNov 2, 4 AM — quietNov 2, 7 AM — quietNov 2, 10 AM — quietNov 2, 1 PM — quietNov 2, 4 PM — quietNov 2, 7 PM — quietNov 2, 10 PM — quietNov 3, 1 AM — quietNov 3, 4 AM — quietNov 3, 7 AM — quietNov 3, 10 AM — quietNov 3, 1 PM — quietNov 3, 4 PM — quietNov 3, 7 PM — quietNov 3, 10 PM — quietNov 4, 1 AM — quietNov 4, 4 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Nov 4, 7 AM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Reddit 1Nov 4, 10 AM — quietNov 4, 1 PM — quietNov 4, 4 PM — quietNov 4, 7 PM — quietNov 4, 10 PM — quietNov 5, 1 AM — quietNov 5, 4 AM — quietNov 5, 7 AM — quietNov 5, 10 AM — quietNov 5, 1 PM — quietNov 5, 4 PM — quietNov 5, 7 PM — quietNov 5, 10 PM — quietNov 6, 1 AM — quietNov 6, 4 AM — quietNov 6, 7 AM — quietNov 6, 10 AM — quietNov 6, 1 PM — quietNov 6, 4 PM — quietNov 6, 7 PM — quietNov 6, 10 PM — quietNov 7, 1 AM — quietNov 7, 4 AM — quietNov 7, 7 AM — quietNov 7, 10 AM — quietNov 7, 1 PM — quietNov 7, 4 PM — quietNov 7, 7 PM — quietNov 7, 10 PM — quietNov 8, 1 AM — quietNov 8, 4 AM — quietNov 8, 7 AM — quietNov 8, 10 AM — quietNov 8, 1 PM — quietNov 8, 4 PM — quietNov 8, 7 PM — quietNov 8, 10 PM — quietNov 9, 1 AM — quietNov 9, 4 AM — quietNov 9, 7 AM — quietNov 9, 10 AM — quietNov 9, 1 PM — quietNov 9, 4 PM — quietNov 9, 7 PM — quietNov 9, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 7 AM — quietToday, 10 AM — quietToday, 1 PM — quietToday, 4 PM — quietToday, 7 PM — quiet 1
Nov 2Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6Nov 7Nov 8Nov 9yesterdaynow · 9:50 PM ET
  1. 1

    Mashable publishes guide on protecting against voice cloning scams

    Mashable published a detailed guide on how to protect oneself from voice cloning scams, citing documented cases on TikTok and expert advice on defending against this growing threat.

    “Some years ago, a cloned voice had something slightly off about it, and most people could hear it. That is gone now.”
    — Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN · source
    1. 1 outlet Voice cloning scams: How to protect yourself from audio deepfakes

      first by Mashable, 10d ago

    • It’s easy if you’re not a total idiot. Nothing to do with being a Redditor, something you are yourself btw.

      GloomyDesign9499r/technology7d agoview on r/technology ↗
  2. background

    Voice cloning now embedded in all-in-one criminal toolkits sold to non-technical users — Voice cloning tools are no longer sold as standalone novelties but packaged into comprehensive scam kits that include jailbroken access to AI tools, stolen personal data, and other features, democratizing access to sophisticated fraud techniques.

  3. background

    Voice cloning technology now nearly undetectable to human ears — Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN, explained that cloned voices no longer contain the audio artifacts that previously made them identifiable, removing a key defense mechanism for potential victims.

  4. background

    Hacked AI accounts sold cheaply on dark web marketplaces — NordVPN's study of dark web marketplaces found a hacked ElevenLabs Scale account with unlimited voice cloning sold for $150, and an ElevenLabs API key for just $8, showing how affordable voice cloning capability has become for criminals.

  5. background

    Americans lose $148.2 billion to digital crimes in 2025 — Digital crime losses in 2025 reached $148.2 billion, a jump of more than 25 percent from the year before, setting the context for rising scam activity including voice cloning fraud.