Cybersecurity experts are warning about a new threat: voice cloning. This is where scammers can make themselves sound exactly like someone you know.

Phone scams have been around for years. But new technology is making them a lot more dangerous.

Imagine receiving a call and it’s a familiar voice. This is called voice cloning, and cybersecurity analyst Scott Schober says it’s a big threat.

“Immediately, you have credibility when you hear that familiar voice, and that's why they're so effective, especially when applied for scams,” Schober said.

Schober gave a demonstration to show how easily it can be done. After recording a message, Schober got a sample of a well-known voice, Donald Trump, to show how easily it is to fool people. And since scams affect Democrats as well as Republicans, Schober tried the test again with a different voice.

“It sounds like him. Like, if I got that call, I would be like ‘OMG the president – he’s talking to me,’” one woman said.

One study said to do this a couple of years ago would be the excess of $20,000 with audio equipment and an engineer. Now, this can easily be done in the palm of our hands with a smartphone.

Experts say if you’re not sure who’s on the other end, tell them you need to call back. If they’re claiming to be someone you know, use a phone number you know is theirs. If they say they’re with a company or agency, look up that number yourself.

Schober also recommends setting up a family code word.

“If you're not sure that it's your daughter calling, or your grandfather, or something else, you could say, 'Hold on a second, what's our code word?' And if they come back with nothing, you know, it's a scammer, and hang up immediately,” Schober said.

If you’ve been the victim of a voice cloning scam, or if you know something else that needs to be investigated, call 732-738-KANE or email KaneInYourCorner@News12.com.