Getting a scam call is common. Getting a scam call from a voice that sounds like a Tulsa police officer is not.
"It sounded like a very, very casual conversation, as if this person was actually expecting to have spoken with me. He used my first name, my last name. They spoke very casually. That's why it sounded so real and ultimately why it was so scary," said Myles David.
David works as a software developer and understands artificial intelligence, but he was caught off guard. Scam calls in the past usually had some sort of robotic voice or came from a stranger. AI is making these calls more realistic.
"Using the real name of a real officer, these people have obviously done their research. They're obviously very intelligent. I don't see how anybody could deduce that there were any obvious red flags," said David.
The call, which went to voicemail because David was in a work meeting, impersonated the voice of Tulsa police officer Eric Spradlin.
"It's pretty imperative that we speak. I suggest you return my call as soon as possible," it said.
David, who was panicking, called the Tulsa Police Department to see if it was real. It wasn't, but it sounded very real.
Tyler Moore, professor of cybersecurity at the University of Tulsa, says that's why he doesn't answer the phone.
"That's the shortcut," Moore said.
Even Moore has gotten one of these calls lately. He answered because it was a Tulsa area code.
"That's the other thing to know, is that just because the number looks like it's coming from the police department, that could absolutely be faked," said Moore.
Moore says the scammers, who will eventually demand money, operate on an industrial scale.
"There are these videos you can see on YouTube of some of these cybercrime call centers where they literally have on the wall hundreds of iPhones and other smartphones," said Moore.
Those phones dial automatically thousands and thousands of numbers. When someone picks up, the AI starts talking. It's difficult to know when the AI stops being in control. If a victim bites, the human running the con eventually takes over the script. Websites that can duplicate the voices of real people help.
"They may still be relying on the AI to process their voice and their responses, but there's certainly a person involved whenever the scams go through to success," said Moore.
And the police swindle isn't even the most frightening. All people with ill-intent need is a little clip of a voice to do a spoof. Hany Farid with the University of California at Berkeley says that means scammers can sound like someone you love.
"My wife and I have a password, so if we get a phone call and it sounds out of the ordinary, we ask, 'What's the code word?'" said Farid.
So, what can be done? Farid says big businesses raking it in must be held accountable.
"So first of all, the AI companies have to do better," said Farid.
The tools criminals use to fake someone's voice ought to be regulated, too.
"We have to put better safeguards. I shouldn't be able to go to a website that I pay $5 a month for and type something that's clearly meant to be a scam," said Farid.
And he says phone service providers like AT&T know full well what's happening.
"The telecoms let these things happen on their networks because, frankly, they're profiting off of them."
And then there's the government.
"The U.S. government must start cracking down on the AI companies, on the telecoms, and saying, 'If you do not protect our citizens, we're gonna come after you.'"
Until then, it's up to citizens to stay educated on threats. The Tulsa Police Department says it will never ask for money over the phone.
