I never would have thought that I’d actually feel uneasy hearing the voice of someone close to me. It happened a few weeks ago: my phone rang around eight o’clock in the evening, and I heard my son’s voice on the other end of the line. He was nervous; his voice was trembling. He said he was in trouble. He’d caused an accident and needed money right away, or else he’d be arrested.

I didn’t think twice. His voice sounded exactly like my son’s. He even told me not to call him back because his phone had been seized and his lawyer was about to call me. The “lawyer” called a few minutes later; he sounded very official, was pushy, and gave me a bank account number. I transferred as much as I could. It wasn’t until the next day that I found out my son was fine—he was at home, watching TV.

It was all a scam. His voice was cloned using artificial intelligence. All it took was a few videos and audio recordings from the internet, and suddenly someone else was speaking in my name.

Since then, I’ve come to view phone calls differently. I know that a voice alone is no longer enough proof. And I’ve also learned that technology isn’t just used by us—but also by those who want to exploit it.