Overview
- National Trading Standards reports scammers start with deceptive “lifestyle survey” calls to capture voice samples and harvest personal details.
- AI-generated imitations of victims’ voices are then used to simulate verbal consent for new direct debits with banks and legitimate providers.
- Older and otherwise vulnerable people are the primary targets, and many victims only notice losses after checking bank statements.
- In the last six months, investigators blocked nearly 21 million scam calls and shut down about 2,000 numbers in coordinated disruption efforts.
- Officials urge people to hang up on unexpected calls, register with the Telephone Preference Service, review statements, and report incidents to banks and Action Fraud or police.