November 15, 2026
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies, fake video calls pose an increasing threat to digital security. Fraudsters can now impersonate real people and mimic their faces and voices in a way that is sometimes difficult to detect, which raises serious questions about how to distinguish between real and fake calls.
These operations rely on “deepfake” technology, which employs artificial intelligence to produce images, video clips, and audio recordings that mimic real people, all the way to imitating facial expressions and lip movement during live video calls. The danger of this technique increases with the possibility of exploiting images and audio clips published online to create convincing digital copies of people known to the victim, with the aim of deceiving them and draining their money or obtaining personal and sensitive information.
Despite the great development in “deep fake” techniques, there are still some visual and audio signs that help raise suspicions. The most prominent of these indicators are the mismatch between lip movement and voice, and the appearance of unnatural distortions in facial features when moving the head or changing the angle of photography, such as disruption of the boundaries of the jaw and face, or the appearance of visual waves around the hair and ears. Signs also include sluggish facial expressions or their inconsistency with the nature of speech, noticing sudden changes in the tone of the voice or unusual pauses, as well as disturbed lighting and shadows that do not fit with the surroundings. However, these signs do not constitute conclusive evidence; Some artificial intelligence tools are now able to produce calls that are difficult to distinguish from reality based on observation alone.
Fraud indicators are not limited to technical details, but extend to the nature of requests. Requesting an urgent transfer of funds, sharing banking data and sensitive information, or exerting pressure to make quick decisions are all signals that call for caution, even if the caller appears with the face and voice of a known person, as perpetrators exploit the element of urgency or claim emergency situations to disrupt the victim’s critical thinking.
To confront these risks, cybersecurity experts advise against relying on image and sound alone to verify people’s identity. At the forefront of the means of protection is the necessity of ending the suspicious call and contacting the person concerned via a known and previously saved phone number, in addition to agreeing in advance with family members on a secret emergency verification password, and never sharing passwords, verification codes, or bank data.
It is noteworthy that the spread of deepfake technologies poses unprecedented challenges to traditional verification methods, which confirms that seeing a face or hearing a voice alone is no longer sufficient to prove identity, and requires strengthening multi-factor authentication and independent verification procedures in all financial transactions and professional communication. (Erm News)
