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New Delhi: In a distressing incident, cybercriminals in Delhi deployed voice cloning technology to carry out an extortion scam, leaving elderly man Lakshmi Chand Chawla victim to a ₹50,000 loss. The criminals used WhatsApp to send a ransom demand, featuring a child’s voice cloned through artificial intelligence (AI), claiming to be Mr. Chawla’s cousin’s kidnapped son.
According to police reports, Mr. Chawla received a message from an unknown number alleging the abduction of his cousin’s son. To add credibility to the threat, the scammers played a realistic voice recording of the child, created using AI voice cloning, pleading for assistance.
Mr. Chawla, upon receiving a ransom demand via WhatsApp, heard a child’s voice, convincingly cloned using artificial intelligence, claiming to be his cousin’s kidnapped son. Distressed and misled by the remarkably authentic-sounding voice, Mr. Chawla promptly complied with the scammers’ demands, transferring ₹50,000 via Paytm.
Upon reaching out to the child’s parents, the truth emerged – the supposed kidnap victim, whose voice was cloned, was safe at home. A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway to trace the perpetrators.
The latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) indicates a surge in cybercrime cases in the national capital, with 685 cases registered in 2022, compared to 345 in 2021 and 166 in 2020.
In response to escalating cybercrime rates, the Delhi Police has proactively unveiled the five most common methods employed by cybercriminals to target unsuspecting individuals. These methods, identified by the Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations (Cyber Crime Unit) of the Delhi Police, include “fake TRAI or FedEx courier company callers,” “home job or Telegram fraud,” “sextortion,” “fake family member or friend in distress,” and “OTP or link-based cheating.”
