Criminals can mimic voices of family members and friends to seek money for ’emergencies’

Mysore/Mysuru: Cyber criminals have developed new methods to scam people by leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create convincing voice imitations of family members or friends, said Deputy Superintendent of Police, Criminal Investigation Unit, CID, Lingaraj.

He was speaking at Cyber Crime Awareness Programme for senior citizens of Vasavi Shanthidhama organised recently by Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Institute for Management Development (SDM-IMD), under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), along with SDM-IMD Students’ LIFE Committee and Rotary Panchsheel, Mysuru.

Lingaraj, who has delivered over 3,500 talks on cyber crime, said that cyber criminals have become more talented, educated and technologically proficient. They now employ advanced technology to lure unsuspecting victims into cyber crime frauds.

With the increasing popularity and adoption of AI tools, it has become alarmingly easy to manipulate images, videos and even mimic the voices of family members and friends. This year, there is a surge in crimes related to AI with 83 percent of the victims losing money, he added.

He also highlighted that smartwatches have caught the attention of hackers, who use them to spy on credit card PINs, extracting sensitive information through trajectory methods. He urged people to immediately report any incidents of being cheated.

“If cyber crime is reported within the ‘golden hour,’ which is the first 15 minutes of the incident, there are higher chances of recovering the lost money. However, if the ‘golden hour’ is lost, retrieving money becomes significantly more challenging. Any incidents of being cheated by cyber criminals or receiving fake calls should be promptly reported to helpline number 1930 or even to 112,” Lingaraj said.

Citing a few examples where even Police fell victim to cyber criminals, retired DIG and Head of Community Service of Rotary Panchasheel Rajendra Prasad stated, “Anyone can fall prey to these cyber criminals. Therefore, everyone should remain vigilant while using internet-enabled devices and refrain from clicking on any suspicious links.”

Presiding over the awareness programme, SDM-IMD Director Dr. (Lt. Col.) S.N. Prasad emphasised the psychological factors that play a major role in cyber crime. “Criminals target two main factors — the victim’s loss of money and loss of reputation. As responsible citizens, it is our duty to educate, enable and empower individuals with basic security measures in the current cyber world,” he said.

Earlier, Dr. M.V. Sunil, Nodal Officer of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), SDM-IMD, briefed about the ‘Stay Safe Online’ initiative by the Central Government.

SDM-IMD students performed skits to raise awareness about cyber crime. President of Rotary Panchasheel Kiran Robert, Manager of Vasavi Shantidhama Mohan Raju and Secretary B.V. Srinivas Gupta were also present on the occasion.