Video calling has become an incredibly common way for people to communicate in both their personal and professional lives. Services like FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, and others allow us to see and talk to someone else from anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, the popularity and ubiquity of video calling has also made it a target for scammers and fraudsters looking to take advantage of unsuspecting users. Scammers have devised clever ways to manipulate video calls to trick people into thinking they are seeing something that isn’t real.
What is the purpose of faking a video call?
Scammers fake video calls for a variety of nefarious purposes:
– Pretending to be someone else – Scammers can use pre-recorded videos or hire actors to impersonate someone on a call. This is often used for romance scams or by criminals posing as authority figures like police officers or bank representatives.
– Displaying false backgrounds – Using green screens or doctored video, scammers can make it appear as if they are calling from a location they are not actually in. This helps validate their fake identity.
– Hiding their real appearance – Scammers may alter the video to hide their real face or physical features that could reveal their true identity.
– Building trust – By interacting over video, scammers can seem more credible and build a false sense of trust with their targets. A fake video interaction makes the scam seem more real.
– Executing scams – The interaction over video call allows the scammer to directly execute scams like extracting sensitive information or getting the victim to send money.
Techniques scammers use to fake video calls
Scammers use a variety of techniques, ranging from simple to incredibly sophisticated, to fake or manipulate video calls:
Pre-recorded video
A scammer can simply play a pre-recorded video of someone during a call rather than real-time video. This allows them to impersonate someone else or make it seem like they are in a different location than they really are. The scammer may go as far as having an actor or accomplice record a personalized video designed to trick the victim.
Fake backgrounds
Virtual backgrounds have become a popular feature in apps like Zoom, allowing users to display an image of their choosing behind them rather than their real environment. Scammers heavily abuse these fake backgrounds to change their setting and location. A scammer could display an image of a corporate office, coffee shop, or luxury home to better fit their fake identity and build trust.
Green screens
A green screen allows the scammer to digitally impose any background they want behind them. This provides the scammer with almost limitless options for customizing the setting seen on the call to match their needs. From a fake workplace to an exotic location, green screens make it easy to trick unsuspecting victims.
Manipulated video
Beyond just the background, scammers can use digital editing techniques to manipulate the entire video being fed from their camera. Simple edits like masking their face or complex alterations done with CGI and deepfakes can allow scammers to impersonate someone else or even create an entirely fake person on the call.
Hijacked accounts and devices
Rather than faking a call outright, scammers will also hack into existing accounts or devices and use them to conduct scams. Breaking into someone’s video chat app or remote accessing their webcam allows scammers to have access to real video feeds of the victims that can help convince others they are who they say they are on a call.
Bots and avatars
Advanced scammers may use AI and bots rather than humans to fake calls. Programmed avatars can be used to simulate a real video chat, complete with dialog and personalized responses. As bots grow more sophisticated, they can convincingly mimic real people on video calls without as much effort from actual scammers.
Common video call scams using fake calls
Some of the most prevalent scams that use fake video calls include:
Romance scams
Scammers use faked videos and stolen footage to create elaborate dating profiles and build relationships with targets for money. This can escalate to faked webcam chats to further the con and scam victims out of large sums over time.
Tech support scams
Scammers pretend to call victims from tech support companies by using spoofed caller IDs and fake backgrounds during the call. They offer to fix nonexistent issues to gain remote access and steal personal data.
Kidnapping scams
Scammers call victims while posing as kidnappers and use edited or pre-recorded video feeds to make it look like they’ve abducted a loved one to demand ransom payments.
Extortion scams
Scammers record potentially embarrassing or inappropriate video footage of victims through malware or illegal recordings. They then fake a video call and threaten to release the footage unless blackmailed.
Fake banking calls
Impersonating bank reps complete with fake backgrounds on video calls, scammers trick victims into providing private account information or authorizing fraudulent money transfers.
Impersonation scams
Scammers use video manipulation to impersonate government officials, law enforcement, lawyers, and others to appear credible and authoritative. Victims are tricked into sharing sensitive info or payments.
How to spot fake video calls
While scammers are using increasingly advanced techniques, there are still ways to detect fake and manipulated video calls:
Image quality
Heavily compressed or grainy video that lacks detail is a red flag, as scammers often use poor quality prerecorded or edited video. Authentic calls should have smooth motion and sharp image quality.
Video and audio mismatches
If the caller’s lips are out of sync with the audio or their mouth isn’t moving while talking, it likely indicates a fake video paired with a voice recording.
Strange backgrounds
Backgrounds that are too perfect, blurry, or don’t match the context given by the caller may point to a virtual background or green screen being used.
No control
Authentic video chats let you control and change perspectives of the webcam. If the caller seems unable to shift angles or zoom in, it could mean pre-recorded or fabricated video.
Reused footage
Scammers recycling the same video clips or pictures in multiple calls rather than new live footage is an obvious sign of fabrication. You may be able to find their images online from other sources.
No reflection
In a fake video, the caller’s image may not reflect off surfaces like glass or mirrors in their environment. Real footage should show reflections.
Inconsistent impersonation
A scammer impersonating someone they aren’t familiar with may accidentally get personal details, mannerisms, or facts wrong a genuine person wouldn’t.
How to protect yourself from video call scams
Here are some key tips to avoid falling victim to fake video call scams:
- Be wary of any calls from unknown numbers asking for sensitive information or money, especially if they claim to be urgent.
- Verify a caller’s identity through an independent channel – call their company’s official number to confirm who they say they are.
- Look for mismatched audio and video or other warning signs of fabrication on the call.
- Don’t click on any links or install software sent from unknown video callers.
- Avoid sharing personally identifiable info, login credentials, or finances without verifying the call first.
- Use updated antivirus software and keep apps patched to avoid video hijacking malware.
- Report suspicious video calls to authorities and warn others who may be victimized.
With scammers constantly innovating new ways to fake and manipulate video calls through more advanced technology, it’s important to stay vigilant. But by recognizing the techniques they use and applying common sense security practices, their deceptive tactics can be avoided. Only give sensitive data or access during video chats with completely trusted parties who have been independently verified as legitimate.
Conclusion
Fake video calls are an increasingly potent tool for scammers to create convincing cons and personas to trick unsuspecting victims. By using techniques like pre-recorded footage, virtual backgrounds, video editing, hijacked devices, and AI bots, today’s fraudsters can fabricate remarkably realistic fake calls to execute all manners of scams. However, with an understanding of how they manipulate video and awareness of tips to spot fabrication, users can better protect themselves and avoid being deceived over video chat. As video calling becomes even more prominent for communication, users should be extra vigilant for both basic and highly sophisticated attempts at faked video interactions.