Risks
Voice cloning
Using AI to copy a person's voice from a short recording so the copy can say words that person never said.
- Parents
- Businesses
What parents should know
Voice cloning copies how someone sounds. A few seconds from a video can be enough for a scam call that sounds like your child. HeyOtto's voice feature is the assistant speaking. It is not a tool for copying a real person's voice. If a call asks for money, hang up and use a number you already saved.
On this page
What is voice cloning?
A voice clone is a model of someone's speech. The input is audio they really made: a social video, a voicemail, a school concert. The output is new words in that voice. It is synthetic audio pointed at a real identity, which makes it a deepfake when the point is to fool a listener.
Cloning is different from text-to-speech that uses a stock voice. Stock speech says the assistant is talking. A clone says a specific human is talking. Families should assume public videos of their children are enough material for a stranger to try.
Why voice cloning matters
The scam is simple and the voice is the proof people used to trust. A caller says your child is hurt, in jail, or traveling, and needs money now. The script rushes you. The defense is a family password and a callback on the real number. Do not argue with the voice.
Schools and teams post recitals and games. That audio is a gift to a cloner. You do not have to stop every recording. You should stop treating a familiar voice on an unknown call as identification.
How it shows up in practice
- A parent hears their child's voice asking for bail money and calls the child's phone instead of wiring funds.
- The family agrees on a code word that a clone would not know.
- A school limits who can download raw audio of students.
- A product that offers celebrity or friend voice packs is kept off a child's account.
How HeyOtto helps
HeyOtto's voice feature is speech-to-text and text-to-speech for Otto, the assistant. It does not clone a parent's or a child's voice, and it is not a product for making a real person say something new. Voice is available, and HeyOtto is not voice-first. Kids type and read first. Parents can still read the conversation. If a cloned voice reaches you from outside HeyOtto, hang up and call back on a known number, and report the scam at ic3.gov.
- Do not upload a family member's voice to make them say a joke.
- A spoken reply from Otto is still the assistant, and it can still be wrong.
- HeyOtto does not auto-contact anyone because a voice sounded urgent.
For families
Try freeFAQs
Can a short video be enough to copy a voice?
Yes. Public guidance on these scams says a short clip can be enough. Treat any surprising call as unproven, even if it sounds perfect. Call back on a number you saved before today.
Does HeyOtto clone my child's voice?
No. Voice in HeyOtto is a way to talk with Otto, the assistant. It is not a voice-cloning studio. Do not use a different app to clone a classmate or a relative as a prank. That prank is how scams and bullying start.
What should our family password be?
A word you do not post and that a stranger could not lift from social media. Use it when a call claims to be a relative in trouble. If the caller will not use it, hang up and call the real person.
Where do I report a voice scam?
In the United States, report fraud to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. If the call also involves a threat to share intimate images of a minor, report that part to NCMEC. Do not send money to buy silence.
Sources
Last reviewed September 26, 2026. This entry is reviewed twice a year.