Your bank wants your voice – Will they keep it safe?
You already gave your bank your DOB, Social Security number and your mother’s maiden name. Now, they want your voice.
Banks say it’s an extra layer of biometric protection against fraud and cybercrime. But with the rise of hackers stealing voice data for deepfakes, is it worth the risk?
The identity arms race
Hackers are always one step ahead. If you’re skeptical of your bank having your voice data on record, you’re not crazy — you’re smart. A voice can be cloned using AI with as little as 10 seconds of audio. Frightening.
No matter how much money you have in the bank, a hacker or scammer wants it. Call your bank’s customer service line that you see on its website and ask to opt out of voice authentication. It takes two minutes.
Make the hackers ‘loan‑ly’
Of course, because you’re smart, you use strong unique passwords, you enable 2FA, you don’t bank on public Wi‑Fi, and you always monitor your accounts. But it might be worth a phone call or trip to your local bank branch to ask if they offer extra security features.
Secure keys: This physical or digital device generates one-time passcodes that are usually only good for 30 seconds for safer online banking.
Banking alerts: Set up text or email notifications for various real-time account activities, such as large transactions, failed login attempts and account changes.
Account lockout features: Many banks offer options to automatically lock your account after a certain number of failed login attempts.
Advanced access: This is enhanced security for certain activities using additional verification steps. For example, Morgan Stanley asks me for a one-time passcode if I log in at a new location.
🌀 Help me get the word out. Share this story with friends and family to keep them safe before the tsunami of voice-cloning scams hits. They’re coming!
Speaking of voice scams, here’s 60 seconds about how you’re being targeted by voice right now.
Tags: hackers, scams, security, verification
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