Scam-o-Meter: Criminals are cloning voices to run grandparent scams — and it costs them less than $200

Key insights

Recent data from NordVPN research reveals how rapidly voice cloning and its usage in grandparent scams has escalated:

• The number of voice-cloning listings on the dark web grew 7.4 times between early 2024 and mid-2026. The number of posts advertising voice-cloning services, tools, and pricing saw a 82% jump in 2025, then climbed another 75% in the first seven months of 2026. 
• A Telegram bot that calls victims and steals banking codes costs about $30 a week. Criminals sell AI-voice robocalls for $200 per 1,000 calls. They also sell cracked accounts for legitimate voice-cloning services — stolen login credentials that give unlimited cloning access for $150. Much of what’s for sale isn’t custom fraud software. It’s stolen access to real commercial tools that criminals resell on the dark web for as little as $8.
• Criminals scrape voice samples from social media without you knowing. A single video clip you post on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook where you’re talking gives them everything they need. Just a few seconds of clear audio is enough to train the cloning tool to reproduce your voice.
• Scams that use cloned voices rely on urgency and secrecy. The caller claims to be in jail, involved in a car accident, or facing an urgent medical bill. They typically beg you to send them money as soon as possible and keep the call secret. The voice sounds like your relative or someone else you know and care about, so you feel concerned for them, believe them, and send the money without thinking twice.

What our expert says

Voice-cloning scams are part of a broader wave of AI scams that are harder to detect because they sound and feel real. Tomas Sinicki, managing director at Coveron, recommends that you:

• Agree on a code with your family members and closest friends. If a call from a relative involves urgency and money, ask for the code word. A cloned voice can’t answer a question the criminal doesn’t know the answer to.
• Hang up and call back on a number you already have. The real person will confirm if it was them who just called. But if the caller pressures you not to hang up, that’s your confirmation it’s a scam.
• Treat urgency and secrecy as the real warning signs, not the voice itself. Attackers rely on pressure, not perfect audio. Any call that demands you act immediately and keep it secret deserves skepticism — no matter how real the voice sounds.
• Use an identity theft protection service with identity theft recovery coverage. If scammers steal your identity, the coverage pays for recovery costs like legal fees, lost wages, and fraud resolution — so you’re not left handling it alone and out of your own pocket. It should also offer family identity theft protection to have all your loved ones covered for identity theft or online scams.

Methodology and sources

This research was conducted by NordVPN. The researchers analyzed dark web forums and Telegram channels using NordLayer Intelligence by NordStellar, a threat exposure management platform. They tracked commercial voice-cloning listings and fraud use-case discussions from January 2024 to July 2026.

What is Scam-o-Meter?

Scam-o-Meter is an ongoing Coveron series where we keep track of online fraud. In each installment, we look at different scam or fraud trends, break down how they work, and share practical tips on how to protect yourself. We also share the latest data, including from our own original research or that of our partners.