Hello, Hello? Gmail AI-Generated Voice Scam
February 3, 2025
With more than 2.5 billion Gmail users, this latest AI voice scam has a long list of would-be victims. From AI phone calls and fake Gmail representatives, to spoofed websites and a bogus Google call number, you could ID this scam as a crime waiting to happen. Even sneakier, hackers use the fear of a compromised Gmail account to, well, compromise your Gmail account.
Everything Looked Legit
A Microsoft consultant discovered this scam after receiving a notification about approving a Gmail recovery attempt. Yet he wasn’t trying to recover anything. Knowing, this was likely phishing, he was certain it would send him to a spoofed login page to steal his account credentials. Over time, he continued getting messages from what looked to be a legitimate Google call number, as well as an email from Google. Doing some detective work, he found that indeed the number and email were fakes.
The consultant also learned the voice on the phone was AI-generated after giving it time to repeatedly say “hello.” About 10 seconds apart, the hello’s continued in the same exact voice with no variation. He realized it was the final piece in an AI voice scam against him and other Gmail users.
When to Call “Fraud!”
When in doubt, the first thing is contacting the company directly. Never use information provided—hackers, supply contacts going directly to them to continue the scam. With the real number, you’ll find out if your Gmail account is truly compromised.
As for email, it’s very important to thoroughly check sender and recipient addresses. Subtle domain name spelling differences are common, and most users don’t look carefully—or look at all. Take the time to make sure the sender is exactly whom they claim to be.
Since many of us are everyday users and Gmail fans, relying on basic security tools can help us ferret out the real from the fake, and the AI from the real.
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