Protecting Yourself Against Deepfake Identity Theft

Imagine coming across someone who looks and sounds exactly like you. They seem to know a lot about you and mimic your personality. Everything is so convincing that people start believing it’s you. Well, that’s what’s happening online with a synthetic version of you created by AI.

This isn’t sci-fi anymore. With AI tools becoming cheap and widely available, deepfake identity theft is taking over (and destroying!) lives.

Impact of deepfake identity theft

The number of deepfake incidents globally surged tenfold in just one year between 2022 and 2023. North America saw the biggest increase with a 1740% growth in deepfake cases.

In early 2025, an iProov report found that people could identify real vs fake media only 0.1 % of the time—meaning almost no one reliably detects these fakes.

Now, deepfakes account for about 40 % of all biometric fraud attempts.

Deloitte data estimates show losses due to AI fraud are expected to hit $40 billion by 2027 in the U.S. alone.

What this could mean for you:

Someone uses a fake version of you (face, voice, documents) to open bank accounts, apply for credit, or bypass identity checks.
A scammer imitates your voice and calls your bank, posing as you or your boss, and authorizes a fraudulent transfer.
Your likeness is used to commit crimes, and you face legal or financial repercussions without even realizing.
Because deepfakes erode trust, even your legitimate communications may be viewed with suspicion.
Once your identity is misused, the cleanup can be long, expensive—your insurance history, credit file, and reputation all might take hits.

Why the risks have worsened

Generative-AI tools are inexpensive, easy to use, and increasingly realistic. What once took a team and expensive gear can now be done by someone on a smartphone.
Many security systems rely on biometrics (face/voice) or identity documents. But if those can be faked, the system falls apart.
Detection tech is playing catch-up; every time there’s a tool to spot fakes, there’s a counter-tool to generate better ones. It’s a cat-and-mouse game.
Identity systems (KYC, onboarding, ‘prove-you’re-you’) were built in an era before these threats — many weren’t designed for this level of deception.

Understanding how deepfake identity theft works

Think of your identity as a key to your house. Normally, you lock the door (passwords), maybe install a camera (biometric/face recognition). With deepfakes, someone fabricates your key, maybe even your face in the camera, and walks right in. They’re not picking the lock—they’re manufacturing an identical key-and-face combo.

Mechanisms

Face or voice cloning: A scammer uses your photo or a short voice clip (perhaps from social media) to generate a fake version that looks or sounds like you. Now, scammers can create a voice clone using just 3 seconds of audio to get an 85% similarity match.

Fake documents + synthetic identity: Combining real data (e.g., a genuine ID number) with a manipulated photo/video for onboarding systems.

Bypassing biometric authentication: If your bank uses a face scan or voice sample, fraudsters might upload a deepfake version of your face in motion or voice to trick the system.

Impersonation in real-time: Picture a video call where the “CEO” asks for an urgent fund transfer. But it is a deepfake generated live.

Signs of deepfake content

While deepfake technology is constantly improving, the discerning eye can look for certain signs that can help reveal its presence:

Facial discrepancies: Look for mismatches or distortion around areas of complex movement such as the eyes, mouth, and facial expressions. Pay attention to the eyes and blink rate, which can often be irregular in deepfakes.

Lighting and shadows: Be wary of inconsistent lighting on the face and within the scene. Shadows might not align with light sources, indicating digital manipulation.

Skin texture: Fluctuations or abnormalities in skin texture, specifically a too-smooth or waxy look, could be indicative of deepfake technology at work.

Hair and teeth: These intricate features are challenging for deepfake algorithms to replicate accurately, so look for any oddities in the movement or appearance of a person’s hair or teeth.

Border issues: Edges of the face where it meets the neck and hairline could appear fuzzy, distorted, or unusually sharp. Fringing or halo-like borders might be visible.

Inconsistent frame rates: A mismatch in the frame rate between the foreground and background or jumpiness in the video could be signs of tampering.

How to protect yourself against deepfake identity theft

While deepfake tools become increasingly advanced and undetectable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself:

Limit what you share publicly. If you’ve posted lots of clear photos, voice clips or videos of yourself, you’re handing out material that could be used for face/voice cloning.
On calls or video chats, be extra cautious: if someone you know “calls” you sounding strange (someone clones a voice), pause and verify via another channel.
Use strong, unique passwords; enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) everywhere. Once scammers can access email or phone recovery channels, they may bypass biometrics or other checks.
Set up alerts on your credit files (where available) and bank accounts for new applications in your name.
Look out for unexplained calls/emails about accounts you didn’t open.
Use reverse-lookup of phone numbers or email addresses to check if they’re flagged as spam/scam.
Encourage friends/family (especially older ones) to adopt this mindset: “If it sounds odd, don’t respond.”

Create an incident-response plan

If you suspect you’re being impersonated (voice, face, etc.), gather as much evidence as you can (screenshots, call records, emails). Immediately alert your bank, financial institution, credit bureaus, and possibly file a cybercrime complaint. Change keys (passwords, recovery emails/phones), freeze accounts if needed.

Legal protection available

The legal landscape is still catching up with deepfakes, but there are protections in place:

In May 2025, the U.S. federal government passed the TAKE IT DOWN Act (Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act). It criminalizes non-consensual intimate imagery (including deepfakes) and requires platforms to remove flagged content.

Many U.S. states have their own laws dealing with deepfakes. For example:

In Pennsylvania, legislation (Act 35; formerly Senate Bill 649) signed July 2025 makes it a crime to create/distribute a “forged digital likeness” with intent to defraud/coerce/theft, effective Sept 5, 2025.
In Washington State, House Bill 1205 (effective July 27, 2025) criminalises the intentional use of forged likenesses (images/audio/video) to defraud/harass.

Beyond deepfakes, the federal identity-theft statutes (e.g., 18 U.S.C. §§ 1028, 1028A) already apply when someone uses another person’s identity for fraud. (See e.g. Flores‑Figueroa v. United States)

What this means for you

If someone creates a deepfake of you (face/voice/likeness) and uses it to defraud or impersonate, you may have legal recourse under state laws or federal laws depending on what exactly happened (fraud + identity theft + non-consensual imagery).
Platforms and intermediaries are increasingly required to take down flagged content (especially under federal law and certain state laws).
Civil liability: you may also have the ability to sue the perpetrator (or perhaps a platform) for misuse of your likeness, defamation, etc, depending on the jurisdiction and facts.

Bottom line

Deepfakes have tipped the identity-fraud landscape into a new era. The key message: don’t assume anything is “just a normal call/video”. Think of your identity like a high-value asset — protect, monitor, and act fast when you detect anomalies.

You’re much safer if you combine three pillars:

Prevention – minimise what can be cloned, secure key channels, educate those around you.
Legal awareness – know your rights, know that laws exist (even if not perfect), and act quickly if you’re targeted.
Verification tools – whether it’s reverse lookups (like ReversePhone), independent verification of calls/emails, or behavioral red flags.

How ReversePhone can help

Suppose you receive a call from someone claiming to be from your bank, or your “child” calling in a high voice that sounds unnatural. You can plug the number into ReversePhone to check whether that number is flagged and has multiple scam reports.

It can act as an early-warning tool: If you see a number is linked to lots of complaints, you’re better positioned not to engage and instead verify through official channels.

It also helps with protecting your circle: You can advise parents, older relatives, or friends to use it – lessening their risk of responding to a cloned-voice scam.

Important: It doesn’t replace full legal or security action. If you suspect deepfake identity theft, you still need to contact your bank, credit bureaus, law enforcement, and possibly hire legal counsel.