Protect yourself from the ‘Little Mermaid’ AI scam stealing your voice AND your money

How to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones From Falling Victim to One of the Most Brutal AI Scams

Imagine a heart-stopping moment: a mother picks up her phone to hear her daughter’s voice, choked with sobs, whispering, “Mom, I messed up.” Panic sets in as a gruff male voice takes over, demanding a staggering $1 million ransom. Unfortunately, this terrifying scenario isn’t fiction. 

It happened to an Arizona mom in 2023, and is just one instance of a rapidly growing AI scam—the chilling ‘Little Mermaid’ scheme. This insidious fraud weaponizes your voice, harvested from online sources, to target your loved ones.

Mukesh Choudhary, Co-founder and CTO of Finoit, shares how this works and how to safeguard yourself. 

How it Works

Fraudsters target social media accounts, particularly those with publicly accessible videos. Using AI software, they extract the user’s voice from these videos. 

Mukesh explains, “This stolen voice can then be manipulated to create realistic audio recordings, mimicking the user’s tone and speech patterns. The AI software can alter the pitch, tone, and cadence of the voice to make it sound like the original user.”

These recordings are then used to impersonate the victim, often targeting loved ones with urgent money transfers or sensitive information requests.

Mukesh expresses, “The greatest danger lies in the believability of these AI-generated voices.”

How to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones

Protecting yourself from the Little Mermaid scam is crucial. Keep the following tips from Mukesh in mind:

• Be Wary of Publicly Shared Videos

The Little Mermaid scam thrives on readily available audio. Review your social media privacy settings and limit video access, especially those containing your voice. 

• Use Two-Factor Authentication

This adds an extra layer of security to your online accounts. Even if scammers manage to steal your voice, they’ll still need a verification code to access your loved one’s accounts.

• Educate Your Inner Circle

Talk to your family and friends about the Little Mermaid scam and advise them to be wary of unexpected calls or messages, even if the voice sounds familiar. Remember, your vigilance can protect not just yourself, but also your loved ones. 

• Scrutinize Voicemails and Messages

Scammers often exploit urgency and panic to get their victims’ attention. If you receive a voicemail or message, especially one containing financial requests or sounding distressed, take a moment to breathe. Don’t react immediately. Call the person back directly at a known phone number to confirm the situation.

• Consider Voice Modification Apps

While not foolproof, voice modification apps can add a layer of obscurity to your online voice recordings. These apps can alter your voice pitch or cadence, making it harder for scammers to isolate and use your voice for malicious purposes.

By taking these precautions and staying vigilant, you can ensure your voice remains yours and not become a tool for scammers. 

Mukesh says, “Remember, a little online security awareness can go a long way in protecting yourself and your loved ones.”