Hang up, call back
How the clone is made
Voice-cloning tools can imitate a person from a short sample: a social media video, a voicemail greeting, a podcast clip. The scammer types what the clone should say, or speaks through it live. Background noise, crying or a bad line hide the small imperfections. You should assume that a voice alone, however familiar, no longer proves who is speaking.
The usual scripts
A child or grandchild in trouble abroad, arrested or in an accident and needing money now. A boss asking for an urgent transfer to a supplier before a deadline. Sometimes a second voice joins, a "lawyer" or "police officer", to add authority. All use the pressure signs from lesson 2: urgency, secrecy ("don't tell Mum"), and an unusual way to pay.
Caller ID can be faked
A call can appear to come from a saved contact or a real company number. That is called spoofing, and it is why even a call showing "Mum" or your bank's number needs the same check. Don't ask questions the scammer could answer from social media, such as birthdays or pets' names. The check has to happen through a channel the scammer does not control.
Callback rule and code word
Hang up and call the person back on the number already saved in your phone, or reach someone who is with them. Agree a family code word in advance: something only you would know, never posted online, to be asked for in any emergency call. For workplaces, agree that payment changes are always confirmed on a known number or in person, whoever seems to be asking.
If a loved one rang in tears asking for money right now, how would you know it was really them?