ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) -- Residents in Yates County are being warned of potential phone scams involving voice cloning.
Voice cloning is when someone uses AI to simulate people's voices and remove accents. Scammers would take recorded phone calls or videos via social media to achieve this. Scammers can also reach their victims over the computer.
Deputies say these types of calls are asking for money for numerous reasons, such as bail for relatives who got arrested, arrest warrants, or computer issues. The scammers demand immediate action by paying through cash apps and asking the victims to keep the phone call a secret.
The Yates County Sheriff's Office is asking for you not to provide personal information over the phone and not to give anyone remote access to your computer, unless you are certain of who is on the other side of it.
If you believe you were the victim of a scam call, you are encouraged to call your local law enforcement and your financial institution.