“Hi Mama” .. a new electronic fraud with “the voices of relatives”

Electronic fraudsters developed methods of deception using “deep audio counterfeiting” for friends and victims of their victims, so that these tricks are involved in the targeted persons, and they respond to audio messages that respond to them for money.

The victims of this fraudulent style of «Emirates Today» said that they never imagined that the messages that were received were fake, as the voices are identical to the voices of their friends, and despite their culture and familiarity with many methods of electronic fraud, they fell into the trap, because they believed that their friends are in financial trouble, and they need urgent assistance.

A recent study conducted by an international banking group revealed the spread of this method globally, and it is called “Hi Mum”, and is to defraud victims through text messages, where they claim that they are relatives, acquaintances or friends (the victim) and ask him for money, and use sound technology, to make e -mails more realistic and persuasive for victims.

In detail, one of the victims of the “Hi Mama” style said, she preferred not to mention her name, to “Emirates Today” that she was surprised by a text voice message received by a close friend, asking her urgent financial assistance, pointing out that she was surprised by the letter at the beginning, but she did not suspect a moment that she had voted her friend.

She added that the letter of the letter asked her to make a financial transfer to a bank account, so she did not hesitate much and responded to the message, and converted 10 thousand dirhams to the bank account, according to what was asked of her, and she waited for a subsequent response from her friend, but she did not respond to her by any message.

She indicated that she had contacted her friend later, and asked her about the reason for her urgent need for money, and whether she needed another help, but she was shocked when her friend told her that she did not send any messages to her, and she did not know anything about what happened, but that the big surprise that the same friend was not aware that her WhatsApp account was exposed to piracy, and that the fraud that he seized in the same way is with the same way Near those close to them in the same way.

She confirmed that she is very familiar with fraudulent methods, and her education and function allowed her to see, but the audio counterfeiting was very accurate, she did not doubt that she was for her friend, noting that she had informed the rest of the friends who subscribed to hacking her friend’s account via “WhatsApp”, until they took their caution.

In turn, (MA), Arab nationality, revealed that he had received a voice message from one of his relatives, in which he told him that he buys important supplies for the house, and he was surprised that his credit card stopped working, and he needed a quick amount, and asked him to transfer him to him to reactivate his credit card.

He pointed out that it is not customary for him to receive such messages from his relative, but he was embarrassed to refer to him, or call him by phone, so he transferred the amount to the bank account as he was asked, reassuring the authenticity of the message, as it is an audio.

He continued that he met him days after the transfer was transferred, and he asked him to coincide with whether he had solved the problem of the credit card, so he was surprised by his relative and told him that he did not face any problems or bank obstacles, so he told him about the details of what happened, and he operated the text message that was received, to discover that she is fake with great accuracy, and that she does not return to the latter, and realized that he had fallen victim to a perfect fraud.

For his part, the employee at a private company, Adel Mahmoud, said that he almost fell into this trap, but it was good luck that he was busy when he received a similar message from one of his friends who asked him to do with a sum of money, and he was already determined to transfer, but he postponed that until his work was completed.

He pointed out that he received a phone call about two hours after the friend himself, informing him that his “WhatsApp” account was hacked, and that there are those who send audio messages requesting material assistance in his name, so he told him what happened and that he was lucky to delay the transfer, unlike other friends and relatives who responded to the fraud, and made financial transfers to the account number sent to them.

He pointed out that the striking thing is that his friend, whose voice was cloned, was very surprised when he listened to the message, and had it not been for his confidence that he had not recorded it, he would not suspect that he did this himself of the accuracy of the reproduction of the voice.

Meanwhile, the “Santadir Foundation” issued serious warnings of a fraudulent style known as “Hello Mom” ​​or “Hi Mama”, through which the victims receive voice messages that match the voices of relatives, acquaintances and close friends, and usually include an urgent appeal to help, as the owner of the message faces an emergency crisis or position that requires material support to him.

The study conducted by the Foundation stated that there is an amazing development in these technologies, and the fraudsters use the applications of the audio, to ensure that the audio messages are made more realistic and in line with the reproduced sound, in order to persuade the victims.

Cyber ​​security expert, Dr. Moataz Qoukash, said that this problem is getting more complicated for companies, especially in light of the development of artificial intelligence tools allocated to deep counterfeiting, as companies, including “Elephen Labs”, the leader in this field, boast of their ability to create voices that cannot be distinguished from their real counterpart, and then experts suggest the use of secret words, to verify the identity of people when dealing in the framework of work or completing transactions Or make transfers based on audio orders.

Qoukash told «Emirates Today» that the fraudsters at the present time only need a few minutes of the person’s voice (the victim), which may be available via WhatsApp or through a video of him on social media platforms, and they use programs or sound generation tools, create a digital version that can be programmed to say anything.

He added that these technologies were complicated and expensive in the past, but today they are available in free and cheap applications, pointing out that the fake voice was initially automatic and unconvincing, and it is dominated by confusion or delay, but it is now more smooth, and he can imitate the tone, rhythm and even the emotions themselves.

He pointed out that the gangs specialized in this advanced type of crimes have become use of video calls and fake sounds, to increase persuasion, and are keen to manipulate humanity to the targeted person, by adding an usurpation element, such as: (save me immediately, I have no time), with the aim of breaking any rational thinking with the victim.

He continued that the seriousness of this type of crime at the present time is the ease of implementation, as these applications are currently available in abundance, in the absence of awareness among many people (victims), who do not imagine that the sound may be fake, and the weak technical tools that allow for counterfeiting.

He pointed out that there are indications that must be paid attention to in the event that an unfamiliar audio message from a relative or friends is received in order to seek money, including the presence of one of these matters: a defect even if it is simple in the context such as delay or silence at the beginning of the message or call, slow or stuttering in the hadith, a difference in the pronunciation of some words or letters, an inconsistent change in the tone or rhythm.

Qoukash advised members of society in the event that he received a message via WhatsApp or any of the chat applications, not to rely on audio recording alone to prove information or an important decision, such as transferring money, as the same source must be verified by directing a direct call with him or through any other way, if the matter is related to an official procedure related to work.

He added that if a message from a relative or a friend requests financial assistance or secret banking data, you should ask him for a text to re -contact you, or ask him about a personal information that others do not know about his family or his life, to ensure that his message is not fake.

He explained that there are applications, tools and programs dedicated to detecting audio counterfeiting through artificial intelligence, and it is better to download and use them to examine any messages suspected of being unrealistic.

Qoukash affirmed that our voices are available through social media platforms makes them vulnerable to forgery and use them in fraud or any other crimes, which affects their owners themselves, so be careful of that, and not to excessive publication of visual or audio content.

For his part, the lawyer, legal advisor, Omar Al -Awadi, said: “The Emirati legislator dealt strictly with cyber crimes, especially electronic fraud, given its direct impact on the economy, community security and trust in digital transactions, and dealt with a decree of a federal law No. (34) of 2021 regarding combating rumors and cybercrime (all forms of fraud through information networks, whether by impersonating identity, And seize the money of others, or use electronic accounts for illegal purposes).

He added: “The law is not satisfied with imposing imprisonment penalties and a fine that may reach millions of dirhams and deporting the state.

He explained that «in practice, with the consolidation of the principle of public and private deterrence, the legislator was keen to enhance confidence in digital transactions, but the legislative aspect alone is not enough, as community awareness and technical control remain from the pillars of active control, which is what the state is going through through the police authorities and the central bank, and therefore it can be said that the UAE legislator set an integrated framework that enhances the state’s position in the environment of the environment Digital is safe, with the necessity of continuing to update texts in proportion to the development of electronic crime patterns.

He said: “Societal awareness remains, along with the strictness of Emirati laws, the first line of defense, to ensure a safe digital space, which protects individuals and institutions from the clutches of electronic fraud.”

Experts warn of the development of sound generation techniques and ease of availability.

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