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Impersonation scams work because everything looks right on the surface. The number matches your bank, the email carries the right logo, and the person on the phone sounds calm and professional. The warning signs sit underneath: contact you were not expecting, pressure to act immediately, and a request to move money or share a security code.
Common ways fraudsters use impersonation tactics
Number spoofing
Fraud use spoofing technology to display a bank’s or organisation’s real phone number on a victim’s screen during a scam call.
Cloned emails
Scam emails copy a genuine company’s logo, layout, and sender name, often from a near-identical domain, to pass a quick visual check before directing victims to a fake payment page.
AI voice cloning
Short audio samples from public interviews or videos can now generate convincing fake speech, used to fabricate celebrity endorsements or impersonate family members in urgent calls, making voice alone unreliable for verifying identity.
AI Deepfake ads
Scammers use AI technology to create fake ads, usually showing an investment opportunity. Martin Lewis has regularly been a target of these ads, which led him to publish a statement saying he does not promote any investment or crypto opportunities.
Matching branding
Fraudsters replicate a company’s logo, colors, and message format closely, so texts or emails look genuine at a glance and these are most effective when paired with a spoofed number or cloned email address.