A family member's voice pleads for emergency cash. A colleague's face appears in a video message. Neither is proof of who is on the other end anymore. FBI warnings describe scammers using AI-generated voice messages and deepfake video to make impersonation look believable. If you answered one of these messages or sent money, the first step is to understand how the scheme worked.
How voice and photo impersonation works
These schemes run on pressure. FBI alerts from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (May 2025 and a 2026 alert) describe AI-generated voice messages, known as vishing, and AI-generated video used to look credible. A familiar voice can switch off your skepticism fast.
Photos do part of the work too. The May 2025 alert says scammers can use publicly available photographs in text messages, known as smishing. They may also make small changes to names and contact details so a message looks legitimate. A single altered digit in a phone number is easy to miss when the message feels urgent.
The pattern in a December 2025 FBI alert starts on ordinary channels. The target gets a text or a voice message. Soon after, the sender asks to move the chat to an encrypted app such as Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. The scammer may then build rapport on a topic the target knows well. The requests come later.
Why recovery offers are a second scam
Losing money once can make you a target again. The 2026 IC3 alert describes recovery or re-targeting scams. A caller claims to have recovered your lost funds, or offers to help get them back. The FBI says the claim is a ruse.
The caller may pose as law enforcement. According to the alert, scammers impersonate FBI personnel to contact people who already reported a fraud. They may use fake social media profiles. A victim who filed a report may later hear from a supposed agent who sends a link to "update" the report. That link may carry malicious code or be used to collect more financial data.
Some scammers also build spoofed IC3-style websites. The alert says such a site may ask only for a name, phone number, email address, scam type and estimated loss. It then hands over a reference number and says someone will be in touch. Filling it in does not open a case. It gives the fraudsters your details and a fresh pitch.
Requests that should stop the conversation
Certain demands show up again and again in the FBI alerts. Treat each one as a stop sign, however real the voice or face seems.
- An authentication code. The December 2025 alert describes a code that syncs the scammer's device with the victim's contact list.
- Sensitive documents. The same alert lists personal information and copies of documents such as a passport.
- A wire transfer. It describes wiring funds to an overseas institution under false pretenses.
- An introduction. It also describes scammers asking to be introduced to a known associate of the victim.
Two more red flags come from the 2026 alert. One is a link to update a complaint or report. The other is any offer to recover money you lost, especially one that arrives after you reported the scam. An unsolicited message from a senior official or government agency should not be assumed authentic.
Verifying a contact independently
Step out of the channel. The FBI's advice is to research the originating number, organization or person yourself. Then find a phone number for them on your own and call to confirm. Do not use the number in the message.
If the voice sounded like a relative, hang up and call them back on the number already saved in your contacts. Checking with another relative is a reasonable second step, though the sources give little guidance on protecting family members who may be impersonated.
Look closely at the details. The FBI alerts advise checking the email address, phone number, web address and spelling for small differences from the real contact. Then ask a plain question. Am I being asked for a code, documents or money through a channel I did not choose? If so, stop.
Where to look for official next steps
The Federal Trade Commission publishes a page called What To Do if You Were Scammed. The text we could review contained only site navigation, so we cannot summarize its steps. Read it directly.
The sources behind this article also leave real gaps. They do not give step-by-step actions for dealing with a bank or card provider. They do not explain fraud alerts, credit freezes or identity theft reports. They do not say where to file an impersonation report with the FBI or the FTC. They say nothing about your rights if your photo or voice was used without consent. We have not filled those gaps with guesses.
One caution does follow from the alerts. If you want to report a scam, do not rely on a link someone sent you. The 2026 alert describes spoofed reporting sites built to collect more of your information. Type the address of the agency yourself, or reach it through a page you already trust. Keep a record of the messages, numbers and transactions involved, and do not open links from suspicious senders to gather it.
