KUCHING, July 18 — A local feng shui and qimen consultant has claimed that scammers used artificial intelligence (AI) to clone his voice in an attempt to trick his friends into transferring money.
Alex Ling said a mutual friend of his and Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau chief Milton Foo received a phone call from someone whose voice closely resembled his.
The caller claimed he urgently needed RM4,500 for surgery at a private hospital and asked that the money be transferred to a bank account under the name “Kee”.
“That friend and I eventually met up at the office. At first, we attempted to call that number, but it went unanswered.
“After about 30 to 50 minutes, he (the scammer) called back again. The voice (imitating me) was quite similar, but not 100 per cent. I can say around 50 to 60 per cent, something like an AI-generated voice,” he told a press conference here on Friday.
Ling said he had lodged a police report over the incident.
He added that the scam attempt could have affected his reputation, as he has never asked friends or clients for money.
Meanwhile, Foo revealed that Ling’s case was the third AI voice-cloning scam brought to his attention.
He said the first case involved a hawker at Kenyalang Market earlier this month, where the scammer successfully deceived the victim’s fellow hawkers into transferring money.
The second case involved another hawker at Pending Seafood last weekend, whose phone was allegedly hacked before the scammer contacted her acquaintances to ask for money.
However, Foo said Ling was fortunate as none of his friends fell victim to the scam.
He advised the public not to transfer money immediately out of panic when receiving such calls.
“Stay calm, and try to get the real person in touch with you face-to-face instead of having a phone call. See them in person, especially when your parents or children are getting involved,” he said. — The Borneo Post
