Russian Police Warn of AI Voice Scam Targeting Parents

Scammers are using artificial intelligence to impersonate teachers and class supervisors in order to swindle money out of schoolchildren's parents, according to materials from Russia's Interior Ministry reviewed by RIA Novosti.

The con artists have been actively exploiting AI's capabilities, the ministry said. They clone the voices of homeroom teachers and instructors, then call parents under the pretext of an "urgent problem" to extract money and SMS verification codes.

The main danger, the ministry warned, is that the caller's voice can be nearly indistinguishable from the real teacher's.

Police advise parents not to rush to fulfil a request from someone claiming to be a teacher. Instead, they recommend hanging up and calling the class supervisor or teacher directly. Parents can also ask whether other families have received similar requests.