Scammers use AI voice cloning to target thousands in the Netherlands

Scammers are using artificial intelligence to clone voices and impersonate trusted institutions, fueling a dramatic spike in fraudulent phone calls across the Netherlands, according to AD. Between January and March, the Fraud Help Desk received 9,793 reports of suspicious calls — more than triple the 3,031 recorded during the same period last year. “Not robotic — it sounds real, with emotion” “That software only needs a few seconds to mimic an entire voice,” Vos said. “Not robotic — it sounds real, with emotion.” She added that other AI tools allow criminals to gather detailed personal information about targets and generate entire scam scripts in seconds. NLconnect, the Dutch telecom industry association, echoed those concerns, calling phone fraud a “persistent problem.” “It’s a multi-headed monster,” said NLconnect director, Mathieu Andriessen, to AD.