July 1, 2026 · by David Gilbert · 3 min read · Cyber Security
Here's an uncomfortable thought I've been sitting with this year: I have a voice that's been broadcast publicly, fortnightly, for years, archived in podcast feeds and station recordings anyone can find with a quick search. For most of my career, that was just a nice hobby with zero downside. In 2026, it makes me a genuinely easy target for voice cloning — and it's worth talking about, because the same is increasingly true for anyone whose voice ends up online, which by now is most of us.
How Little It Actually Takes
The bit that should concern everyone, not just radio presenters, is how little audio is required these days to produce a convincing clone — security researchers have demonstrated usable results from just a few seconds of someone's voice. A voicemail greeting. A video posted online. One fortnightly tech segment. The tools to do this are now freely available, require no real technical skill, and can be used completely anonymously. That combination — cheap, easy, untraceable — is exactly why this has gone from a curiosity to a genuine business risk in a very short space of time.
What It Actually Looks Like in Practice
The scenario that's been showing up repeatedly this year, including in cases that have cost real businesses real money: someone gets a call, or a voice message, that sounds exactly like their boss, a family member, or — in my world — a trusted technician, with an urgent request. Reset a password. Move some money. Approve an unusual invoice. Read a code back over the phone. The audio quality is now good enough that even people who know the real voice well have been fooled in live conversations, not just recordings.
The tell isn't in the voice anymore — it's almost never in the voice. It's in the urgency. Scammers lean hard on "right now, don't think about it, don't tell anyone" framing, because the moment you slow down and verify, the whole thing falls apart.
What I Actually Tell Clients
I've started giving every client the same simple rule, and I'll give it to you too: nothing involving money, passwords, or account access gets actioned off the back of a single phone call or voice message, ever, no matter who it sounds like. If "your boss," "your bank," or even "your IT guy" calls asking for something urgent, hang up and call them back on a number you already had saved — not one they just gave you.
For businesses, it's worth having an agreed code phrase or a simple two-person rule for anything involving a transfer of money or access — something low-tech, that doesn't rely on recognising a voice at all. It feels almost old-fashioned. That's exactly why it still works.
So, Should I Stop Doing Radio?
No — and I don't think you should stop posting videos, doing podcasts, or leaving voicemail greetings either. The answer was never "go quiet," it's "stop trusting voice alone for anything that actually matters." I'm not getting off the radio. I am, however, telling my own family the same thing I tell clients: if "I" ever call asking you to send money urgently, hang up and ring me back on the number you already have. If it's really me, I won't mind waiting the extra thirty seconds. If it's not, you'll be very glad you did.