Colima warns of AI voice cloning in extortion attempts
Original reporting: AF Medios
What happened
Federal authorities trained more than 100 employees in Colima after detecting extortion attempts using cloned voices and forged official-looking materials.
Reporting and context
Federal authorities in Colima have warned of attempted telephone extortion using artificial intelligence to imitate public officials' voices and create materials that appear to be official. According to AF Medios, the federal Attorney General's Office (FGR) and the Interior Ministry held a prevention workshop for federal employees in response to the detected attempts.
More than 100 people from different federal agencies attended. The federal prosecutor's office in Colima said the methods included cloned voices, forged documents and other fabricated materials designed to appear institutionally authentic.
AF Medios reported that authorities urged participants to turn the training into response protocols, alert systems, prevention campaigns and coordination between institutions. Attendees were also encouraged to share experiences, identify weaknesses in existing procedures and propose ways to reduce extortion risks.
The workshop took place in the María del Refugio Morales auditorium at the state Government Palace, at 37 Reforma Street in central Colima.
The FGR said anonymous reports can be made around the clock by calling 312 316 0918 or emailing vua.colima@fgr.org.mx.