A voice-cloning tool learns the sound of a person from sample audio and then reads out any text in that voice. Legitimate uses include accessibility, dubbing and customer service. The same capability lets an attacker impersonate a relative, an executive or a bank customer on a phone call.
In March 2025, Consumer Reports assessed six popular products and found that four had no meaningful technical safeguard against cloning someone without their consent, relying mostly on a tick box. Recordings of public figures are easy to find, so a voice should no longer be treated as proof of identity.
The practical defence is to verify the channel instead of the voice: hang up and call back on a number you already hold, agree a secret word with family, and require a second approver for payment instructions that arrive by voice or video.