Dubai Regulator Warns of Surge in Voice-Cloning Scam Calls Impersonating Government Officials

The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) has issued an urgent alert over a rising wave of voice-cloning scam calls, warning residents to hang up immediately and block unknown numbers.

The warning follows multiple reports of fraudsters impersonating government officials through both automated and live calls. In a recently released awareness video on X, TDRA demonstrated how convincingly artificial intelligence can mimic an official’s voice to lure victims into sharing sensitive data, underscoring the growing sophistication of these scams.

TDRA issues an urgent warning on X

Authorities stressed that legitimate government entities never request confidential information by phone, nor do they threaten to suspend services, impose fines, or initiate legal action through unsolicited calls.

TDRA urged residents to:

• Hang up immediately if contacted by suspicious or unknown numbers.
• Block the caller to prevent repeat attempts.
• Avoid sharing personal or financial details under any circumstances.
• Rely only on verified official channels for information.

AI is driving increasingly sophisticated fraud tactics through manipulated videos and cloned voices. Recent alerts highlight the trend: the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) warned of unsolicited calls from scammers impersonating IMDA, SPF, and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), while the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) cautioned consumers about fraudsters posing as agency officials via phone calls to steal money under the guise of “protecting” it.