Alarming: AI Voice Scams In Mumbai

We know the famous episode in Epic Ramayana, where the demon Mareecha comes in the camouflage of a golden deer shouts 'Hey! Laxmana' in the voice of Ram after getting shot by Ram's bow.

This is to mislead Sita and Lakshman who were at their Panchavati. Though Laxman confirms that it's a demon's misleading act, Sita gets angry and orders Laxman to go and search for his brother.

We know the rest of the story which follows with Ravana kidnapping Sita.

Such acts are now happening with Artificial Intelligence. There are many Mareecha demons around who are using AI tools that mimic the voices of school and college children to trap their parents.

As per sources, at the Malad police station, a case surfaced involving cyber criminals who utilized similar tactics to extort Rs 50 lakh from the victim.

The victim recounted an encounter where an individual, pretending to be a CBI officer, falsely informed him of his son's arrest in a rape case.

Under duress, the victim engaged in conversation with a child whose identity he couldn't discern, leading to panic and the eventual payment of Rs 50,000.

Another individual nearly transferred Rs 95,000 to the unknown caller's GPay account before reaching his daily transaction limit.

The imposter, posing as the complainant's friend, then requested the remaining sum. However, the complainant shared screenshots with the actual Durgesh through WhatsApp, prompting a call from the real Durgesh who questioned the GPay screenshots.

It was only then that the complainant realized he was being deceived, with the perpetrator employing voice cloning technology to manipulate him.

So beware of any calls you receive. Though they appear to be under SOS, check twice before jumping to conclusions and taking action.