FBI Warns iPhone and Android Users—Hang Up Now, Use This Code

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning to all iPhone and Android users about the growing threat of AI-powered smartphone attacks, particularly deepfake audio scams that can compromise your Chrome password manager credentials or even cost hackers as little as $5 to create. These ongoing attacks are so convincing that security experts have warned the public to hang up now and create a secret code by way of protection.

But what exactly are these AI-powered smartphone attacks, and how can you protect yourself? Voice fakes, driven by AI, are becoming increasingly popular among phone scammers. According to Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, "Phone scammers increasingly use voice cloning tools for their fraudulent activities because this kind of software has become more affordable and effective over time."

One common approach used in ongoing attacks is to use deepfake audio to "approach family members of the individual they are impersonating," Warmenhoven said, "and extort money by simulating an emergency." This means that scammers can create convincing voice messages that sound like a loved one is in trouble, and then ask for money to help them out.

Google has recently confirmed an upgrade to Gmail, which may impact users' security. The new features will require all 3 billion Gmail users to decide whether or not they want to opt-in. However, with the increasing threat of AI-powered attacks, it's essential to focus on protecting your smartphones and personal information.

Europol Joins FBI in Warning of AI-Powered Attack Threats

Catherine De Bolle, the executive director of Europol, has confirmed that organized crime is going through a period of change. "AI is fundamentally reshaping the organized crime landscape," she said. The new European Serious Organized Crime Threat Assessment warned that technology-driven criminal enterprises are becoming more adaptable and dangerous than ever before.

"These technologies automate and expand criminal operations, making them more scalable and harder to detect," the assessment stated. Nearly all forms of serious and organized crime have a digital footprint, whether as a tool, target, or facilitator.

Breaking the New Criminal Code Means Dismantling the Systems That Allow These Networks to Thrive

Evan Dornbush, a former NSA cybersecurity expert, explained that AI makes things faster. Attackers can create sophisticated and believable messages in double-fast time, keep tweaking these automatically so every iteration is more believable than the last.

"But speed is irrelevant if we cannot disrupt the attacker's profit potential," Dornbush concluded; "AI is decreasing the costs for criminals, and the community needs novel ways to either decrease their payouts, increase their operating budgets, or both."

FBI Deepfake Smartphone Audio Attack Mitigation Advice

The FBI has also been warning the public of such attacks. They recommend the same mitigation as Warmenhoven: hang up and create a secret code known only to your close family and friends. Additionally, people should be cautious about the content of their social media postings.

"Social media is the largest publicly available resource of voice samples for cybercriminals," Warmenhoven warned. "This means that everyone should be wary of what they post in terms of how it could be used to negatively impact their security 'through the rise of deepfakes, voice cloning, and other scams enabled by AI tools.'

To mitigate the risk of these sophisticated and increasingly dangerous AI attacks against iPhone and Android users, the FBI said that people should hang up the phone immediately if they get a call claiming to be from a family member or close friend asking for money in such a fashion, and verify the identity of the person calling using direct means yourself.

The FBI also warned that all members of the public should create a secret word or phrase that is only known to you and your close contacts and use this to identify a caller claiming to be someone in trouble, no matter how convincing they sound.