Many of us have heard that criminals can now copy a loved one's voice from a short audio clip, often taken from content posted online, and use it to place calls that sound just like a family member or a boss. What's worth knowing is how quickly it has grown: The FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report featured a section on artificial intelligence for the first time, counting more than 22,000 complaints and nearly $893 million in losses. The true total is likely higher, since the figure reflects only what victims recognized and reported.

The newer development is video. The FBI notes that scammers are pairing fake social media profiles, voice clones, and forged identification documents with believable videos of public figures, loved ones, and even business partners.

The most striking example so far involves Arup, a British engineering firm, where a finance employee received an email specifying the need for a secret transaction. He suspected it was phishing but received an invitation to a video call. Everyone in attendance looked and sounded like colleagues he recognized, including the chief financial officer, so he put his doubts aside. Following their instructions, he made a series of wire transfers totaling about $25.6 million. He didn’t realize he had been scammed until roughly a week after the first contact when he was in communication with the company's U.K. head office.

How we can protect one another
The good news is that the best defenses don't depend on spotting a fake, which is becoming difficult even for experts. They work by changing how we respond, no matter how convincing the request looks or sounds.

• Confirm through a different channel. If a call sounds like someone you know, hang up and call that person back on a number you know is theirs. If you can't reach them, try another family member, friend, or co-worker. This works because it moves the decision to a channel the scammer doesn't control.
• Give yourself time. Scammers rely on urgency. They insist the situation is an emergency and that you're the only one who can help. Even a real emergency can survive a few minutes of checking.
• Agree on a family code word. A code word is a secret word or short phrase that your family decides on ahead of time and uses only to confirm identity in a suspicious situation. If someone calls claiming to be a relative in trouble, you ask for the word. The real person can give it, while a scammer will stall or claim to be too upset to remember. Be sure older relatives know about it and clarify that it's always fine to hang up and call back, even if the caller begs them not to.
• Watch how you're asked to pay. Gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, and cash handed to a courier are the hallmarks of these scams. No legitimate company operates using these forms of payment.
• Talk about it, and don't feel embarrassed. The FTC notes that talking about scams is one of the best ways to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community. These scams are designed by professionals to exploit trust, emotion, and urgency, so anyone can be fooled. If it happens, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and IC3.gov.

If a call claiming to be from PSCCU seems off, hang up and call us at a confirmed number from our website or an account statement. If it’s really us, we won’t be upset that you are taking time to protect yourself.