Consumer Protection Tuesday: How to Spot Deepfakes Before It’s Too Late

This post is part of a weekly Tuesday series at Coinbase about the latest consumer protection and security measures for crypto owners.

At Coinbase, we’re on a mission to help update the financial system to make it safer and more secure. While only 0.14% of blockchain transactions are used for illicit activity, and cash remains the preferred medium for illegal transactions, crypto security is always a top priority. Coinbase maintains a robust compliance program, which includes Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, sanctions screenings, suspicious activity reporting, and strong law enforcement partnerships to detect and prevent illicit activity on our platform.

When Fraud Feels Personal

A panicked voice on the phone says your sibling’s in jail. A video call from your “child” says they’ve been in a car accident and need money fast. These are real-life scenarios—except the person on the other end isn’t actually a loved one.

With the rise of artificial intelligence, scammers can now clone voices and create deepfake video calls that sound and look nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. These impersonation scams are deeply emotional and dangerously convincing.

Common Tactics Used in Deepfake Impersonation Scams

Criminals often follow a repeatable pattern. Knowing what to expect is one of your best defenses:

1. A Sudden Crisis Call

Scammers initiate contact by pretending to be a close relative in distress—trapped in a foreign country, held by authorities, or involved in an accident. They want you emotional, reactive, and less likely to question the details.

Red Flags to Watch Out For:

• Unfamiliar numbers or strange caller IDs.

• Urgent, emotional requests for secrecy or speed.

• Odd phrasing or language that’s slightly “off” from how your loved one typically speaks.

2. The Deepfake Layer

Using AI tools, scammers can now mimic voices and even simulate video chats. They pull content from social media, podcasts, or any public video or audio of your loved one. In some cases, they don’t need more than 30 seconds of audio to generate a convincing voice clone.

Red Flags to Watch Out For:

• Glitches in voice tone or lip movement.

• Lighting or background that seems generic or looped.

• Requests that bypass traditional safety nets, like not involving other family members.

3. The Payment Demand

Once you’re convinced your loved one needs help, the scammer will ask for money. The method varies—bank transfer, Zelle, PayPal, crypto—but the pressure is the same: send it now. The urgency is designed to short-circuit your skepticism.

Red Flags to Watch Out For:

• Requests for secrecy: “Please don’t tell anyone.”

• Instructions to send money to a third party.

• Unverifiable details or reluctance to give you time to think.

How to Verify and Respond

Even the best deepfakes can’t answer real, personal questions. Use these simple tactics to test the truth:

• Call them back directly on a known number.

• Ask something only they would know, like a nickname or past experience.

• Check with other family members to see if anyone else has heard the same story.

If you’re still unsure, contact local authorities or the institution being named (hospital, embassy, jail, etc.) using publicly listed contact information.

Family impersonation scams are some of the most emotionally manipulative forms of fraud, and the addition of deepfake technology makes them even harder to spot. But with awareness, a few preventive habits, and calm verification, you can stop these scams in their tracks.

At Coinbase, we believe that education is the first line of defense against fraud. The more we understand how these scams work, the better we can protect each other—and ourselves.