Faking it on the phone: How to tell if a voice call is AI or not

This article warns that generative-AI voice deepfakes are enabling convincing phone-based social engineering—such as executive impersonation for wire transfers—and explains how attackers source voice samples, target staff, and exploit urgency and confidentiality. It details red flags in audio (unnatural rhythm, flat tone, breath-free speech, robotic artifacts, inconsistent background noise) and prescribes layered defenses: updated awareness training with simulations and red teaming, out-of-band verification, two-person approvals for payments or banking changes, phone passphrases, and voice-synthesis detection tools—framed within a people, process, and technology approach with ongoing review.