Technology

• Deepfake calls are claiming thousands of victims, report finds
• Up to 10% of spam calls are fraudulent
• The top scam for British victims was fake HMRC calls

AI deepfake fraud calls are dominating the scam landscape, and are costing British consumers millions of pounds.

A new report from Hiya has detailed the rising risk and deepfake voice scams in the UK and abroad, noting how the rise of generativeAI means deepfakes are more convincing than ever, and attackers can leverage them more frequently too - even going as far as to target businesses and C-suite executives, making deepfakes one of 2024’s biggest cybersecurity dangers.

AI lowers the barriers for criminals to commit fraud, and makes scamming victims easier, faster, and more effective, and the average successful fraudulent call costs the British victim £595 - so here’s what the report reveals.

Billions of calls

Hiya says it flagged 11.3 billion global suspected spam calls in Q4 alone in 2024, - 123 million calls per day. Of these, 22% were marked as nuisance calls, and 9% were fraudulent - which may not sound like much, but it means one in ten unexpected calls could cost you hundreds if you’re not careful.

A survey confirmed 26% of UK residents have received voice deepfake calls in the last 12 months - and of those, 40% reported being scammed, 35% reported losing money, and 32% had personal information stolen.

The subject of these was primarily financial and banking scams, making up 11% of the deepfakes, followed closely by insurance, holiday booking, delivery service impersonations (all 8% each).

Overall, Global Anti-Scam Alliance estimates a staggering $1.03 trillion was lost to scams worldwide in 2024 - and deepfakes are slowly becoming one of the tools of choice for criminals.

“As we reflect on the last quarter of 2024, it is apparent that AI-powered fraud is becoming more sophisticated than ever, posing a serious threat to consumers and businesses alike," said Alex Algard, CEO of Hiya.

The top scam in the UK was an impersonation of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) - in which victims are told that a criminal case is being taken out against them for tax fraud, and even an arrest warrant has been issued in their name.

This type of fraud aims to panic victims, convincing them that they are in trouble - urging them to hand over bank details, financial information, or personally identifiable information (PII).

It's important to note that even if the ‘only’ thing a scammer gets access to is your personal data, this still leaves you at a serious risk of identity theft, as criminals will take out loans, credit cards, or bank accounts in your name.

How to protect yourself

The report comes shortly after another recent study showed when 2000 people were shown deepfake content, only two of them managed to get a perfect score - so everyone should be on their guard.

Deepfakes are essentially social engineering scams - the natural evolution of phishing attacks, which often impersonate banks, popular services, colleagues, or even family to try and trick victims into clicking malicious links, scanning dangerous QR codes, or handing over their personal details.

Voice and video deepfakes are arguably more dangerous though, as they can be seriously convincing. We recommend establishing a safe word with your family and close friends (anyone who might feasibly call you in an emergency) - so that you can be confident that you’re speaking to who you think.

Outside of friends and family, be very wary of any call from someone claiming to be your bank, or a software firm, or any company with services you use regularly. If your ‘bank’ or HMRC calls, search up their number, call it, and ask to be transferred through to the same person.

Don’t give your information over to someone over the phone, and make sure you change your passwords regularly, and keep unique passwords for every site that holds sensitive information. If you need advice, we’ve compiled a list of the best tricks for creating a secure password.

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• DJI Dock 3 supports vehicle-mounted deployment and dual-drone rotations
• Supports obstacle-sensing LiDAR, high-intensity spotlight, and real-time audio
• Designed for continuous aerial surveillance and monitoring

DJI has introduced its first "drone-in-a-box" system, DJI Dock 3, designed for continuous remote operations in demanding conditions and autonomous drone flights.

It supports an IP56 rating for dust and water resistance and functions in temperatures from -30°C (-22°F) to 50°C (122°F).

DJI, known for advanced drone technology in products like the DJI Flip and DJI Mini 4K, designed the Dock 3 to support deployment on moving vehicles, unlike the Dock 2, which supports only fixed installations.

Long flight time and advanced imaging

The dock system allows two units to be mounted on a single vehicle, enabling dual-drone rotations without interruption, while the horizontal and cloud-based dock location calibrations enhance accuracy during operations.

However, for fixed installations, the D-RTK 3 Relay Fixed Version enhances video transmission and satellite signal stability by reducing interference.

DJI Dock 3 comes equipped with the Matrice 4D and 4TD drones, both rated IP55 for dust and water resistance. These drones offer a forward-flight time of up to 54 minutes and a hover time of 47 minutes.

The Matrice 4D is optimized for mapping and surface inspections, featuring a 24mm wide camera with a 4/3 CMOS sensor, an adjustable aperture from f/2.8 to f/11, and a 20MP resolution. It also includes a 70mm medium tele camera with a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor at f/2.8 and a 48MP resolution, alongside a 168mm tele camera with a 1/1.5-inch CMOS sensor at f/2.8 and 48MP.

The Matrice 4TD is designed for emergency response, infrastructure inspections, and public safety missions. It has a smaller 24mm wide camera with a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor at f/1.7 and 48MP resolution, along with the same tele and medium tele cameras as the Matrice 4D.

The Matrice 4TD also includes an infrared thermal camera and a near-infrared auxiliary light capable of illuminating up to 100 meters, providing enhanced visibility for black-and-white night vision.

This setup comes with the DJI RC Plus 2 Enterprise controller, which enables standalone drone operation and airborne relay — one drone can serve as a relay for another, extending the operational range even in obstructed areas without a 4G signal.

It also integrates with FlightHub 2 for automated flight routes, object tracking, and infrared anomaly detection. It supports an intelligent change detection feature that allows for automated periodic analysis of an area, assisting with environmental monitoring and disaster response.

Dock 3 supports additional accessories, including an obstacle-sensing module with LiDAR and radar for improved navigation, a gimbal-following spotlight with 100-meter illumination, and a real-time speaker with a 300-meter range and 114dB output. It also supports third-party payloads via DJI’s E-Port and PSDK interface.

The Dock 3 ensures data security with opt-in sharing, AES-256 encryption, and ISO certifications. US users cannot sync flight logs, and data can be deleted on request. The Flight Termination System (FTS) enables manual or automatic drone shutdown for C6 compliance.

Pricing hasn't been publicly disclosed, but it is available for purchase through authorized DJI Enterprise dealers.

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• High-tech Eight Sleep pods allow Elon Musk and DOGE staff to rest at work
• But a researcher found security flaws, including an AWS key and remote access
• Hackers could exploit the beds to infiltrate home networks and connected devices

Whatever you think about Elon Musk, and his role heading up DOGE (Department of Government Expenses), he’s certainly not slacking off. According to Wired, the divisive billionaire has reportedly been working long hours (as have his staff who are apparently putting in 120-hour weeks) and is so committed to the cause of cutting costs, he’s been sleeping in the DOGE headquarters at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, just down the road from the White House.

To help everyone with the inevitable fatigue, Musk has accepted a consignment of Eight Sleep pods. These smart beds offer sleeping, reading and custom positioning, snoring mitigation, and come with a hub to keep the sleeper cool or cosy, depending on their preference. These beds appear to have been supplied FOC, but they aren't cheap if you want to buy them – the top of the range Cali King Pod 4 Ultra costs $5,000 and requires a monthly subscription of $17 or $25 – not a problem if you’re a billionaire of course.

For such a big outlay you’d expect the beds to be safe to sleep in, but now, a top security researcher has claimed the pods have a worrying flaw.

An active AWS key

Dylan Ayrey of Truffle Security uncovered a major vulnerability in his smart bed, exposing critical security flaws in Eight Sleep's internet-connected mattress. The researcher says he found an active AWS key within the bed’s firmware that seemed to be streaming data directly to Amazon.

Digging deeper, he also discovered a remote backdoor that he says gives Eight Sleep engineers SSH access to every customer’s bed, allowing them to run arbitrary code without oversight. He says employees could theoretically track sleep patterns, detect occupancy, or even control bed functions remotely.

Beyond personal privacy, the security implications extend to entire home networks. With unrestricted SSH access, hackers or malicious insiders could pivot through the bed to infiltrate smart fridges, laptops, or other connected devices. Ayrey compared the access level to Uber’s controversial "God Mode," a tool the ride-hailing company was found to have misused to monitor users without consent.

The AWS key was revoked shortly after Ayrey reported it, so its exact purpose isn’t known. “We can tell from the surrounding context that the key had write access to Kenises, but beyond that, it’s unclear,” Ayrey says. “What we do know though, is an attacker could have used that key to send 5,000 `PUT` requests per second into Kinesis and racked up a $100,000 per month bill for Eight Sleep.”

Unhappy with what he found, Ayrey came up with his own, safer, alternative to the smart bed using an aquarium chiller, which he said provides the same temperature control with “none of the apps, subscriptions, internet connectivity, backdoors, and security liabilities of an Eight Sleep”.

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It’s already been a busy year for Samsung. The Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra hit shelves in January, and the all-new Galaxy S25 Edge is seemingly just around the corner – but it seems there’s one rumored phone that Samsung fans are even more excited for.

For the past few months, we’ve been hearing more and more about a supposed tri-fold Samsung Galaxy phone, tentatively known as the Samsung Galaxy G Fold. Though Samsung has given but one brief hint of its multi-fold ambitions, tipsters and leakers have been exceptionally active in sharing hints and rumors about what could be the next new product line in Samsung’s mobile portfolio.

Though Samsung isn’t exactly the first phone maker to produce a tri-fold phone – see the jaw-dropping(ly expensive) Huawei Mate XT – it does have a solid chance of being the first to produce a globally available tri-fold phone. Huawei is banned from doing business in the US, so the Mate XT won't be released there any time soon.

And, as the original pioneers of folding phone technology, many fans will be looking to Samsung to take the reigns on the nascent tri-fold sector. We might be waiting a while yet for more official news, but until then, here’s a roundup of the five biggest Samsung Galaxy tri-fold rumors.

A whole new way to fold

(Image credit: Future)

As above, Huawei has already released its tri-folding Mate XT device in certain regions, but rumors suggest Samsung may implement an even more unique folding mechanism on the G Fold.

While the hinges on the Mate XT fold in two separate directions, with a cover screen that’s technically just a piece of the inner display, the G Fold could utilize a pamphlet-style form factor, with two panels that fold inwards and lay on top of one another over the central panel.

This would certainly be a bold move, but Samsung’s official teaser Galaxy Unpacked did show a Huawei-style silhouette rather than this pamphlet-style design, so the G Fold might not necessarily be a first-of-its-kind device.

An absolutely huge display

The rival Huawei Mate XT may give some idea of how large the Samsung tri-fold's display could be (Image credit: Future)

If the latest Galaxy tri-fold display rumors are correct, then the phone will come with a truly massive inner screen.

According to a report from Korean news outlet ET News, the G Fold will boast a 6.49-inch cover screen and a huge 9.96-inch inner display. That’s almost as large as the base-model iPad, which clocks in at 10.2 inches diagonally, though the G Fold is likely to feature an inner screen with an even wider aspect ratio.

For reference, the current-gen Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 sports a 7.6-inch inner display, while the class-leading Oppo Find N5 sports an impressive 8.12-inch display. Keep in mind that a wider aspect ratio means you’ll have more useful space for multitasking and video playback, even if the rumored diagonal length of the G Fold doesn’t seem much longer.

Additionally, a 6.49-inch cover screen would be the largest on a globally available folding phone, beating the 6.3-inch cover displays on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, OnePlus Open, and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Out with the Z, in with the G

(Image credit: Future)

As mentioned, Samsung might position its tri-fold phone as the first device in an entirely new product line, rather than as the third model in the Z family, which is currently made up of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6.

Several rumors have referred to the device as the Galaxy G Fold, which may reflect its novel G-shaped folding mechanism or simply be a way to differentiate the phone from its Z Fold contemporaries.

If these rumors hold true, the name change could reflect Samsung’s desire to market the new phone as a different class of device to the Z Fold series, one that could be more appealing to enterprise customers.

The larger screen, versatility, and software familiarity of a tri-folding Samsung phone could make the device an appealing choice for businesses and professionals, and a new name could help Samsung appeal to this demographic.

Alternatively, Samsung might just want to play up the novelty of its new device. It’s worth noting that during the first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2025, the device was referred to as the “multi-fold” rather than tri-fold – another new name, this time for the product category.

Brand new battery tech

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

One of the biggest challenges behind designing a folding phone is developing a batter that’s big enough to support three huge inner screens.

Thus far, foldable phone makers have opted to split batteries into two cells – one on each side of the hinge – but this brings downsides for battery life as two cells are never as efficient as a single cell of the same size.

However, Samsung has at least one patent for a new technology that could allay this chronic foldable problem.

Specifically, Samsung holds a patent for a folding battery – that’s a battery that could itself bend with the hinges of a folding phone.

Whether or not this idea would work in practice is another matter entirely, as the batteries would need to be able to withstand thousands of bends in order to be safe enough to use.

Such a battery would also be larger and heavier than a split battery, so we’re keen to see how Samsung tackles this problem.

A reveal at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked (but maybe not)

(Image credit: Future)

Within the hallowed halls of the rumor mill, there’s debate over when, exactly, the Samsung Galaxy tri-fold phone will launch.

A report from Korean news outlet ET News suggests we’ll be getting an official announcement for the Samsung Galaxy tri-fold via the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, which we’d expect to happen sometime in mid-to-late 2025.

If this turns out to be true, we could see the Galaxy tri-fold announced alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7.

However, as we previously covered, a more recent tipoff suggests the Galaxy tri-fold won’t arrive until later in the year, though the tipster provided little context for this claim.

In any case, it’s hard to say when the tri-fold will launch with such a glaring lack of official information and rumors pointing in both directions.

If and when a Samsung Galaxy tri-fold phone does launch, it’s likely to rocket into a spot on our lists of the best Samsung phones and the best foldable phones – we’ll have the latest updates via our dedicated Samsung phones coverage. Let us know what you’re hoping to see from a Galaxy tri-fold phone in the comments below.

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Now we know that an AI-powered Alexa+ is coming to your Amazon device very soon (assuming you live in the US of course – international release dates are still to be confirmed), we can welcome Amazon back to the virtual assistant race with open arms. Alexa, where have you been?

Despite leading the charge on virtual assistants way back in 2014, Alexa effectively dropped out of the development race for a year or two there while Silicon Valley’s young AI upstarts, like ChatGPT and Gemini, took over the virtual assistant space. While they were adding voice modes and starting to interact with our calendars and inboxes, Alexa was still stuck as being nothing more than a glorified egg timer that could talk.

It’s not like Amazon’s main virtual assistant competitor, Apple’s Siri, has really done anything to take advantage of the stall in Alexa’s development. Apple was equally wrong footed by the AI equivalent of the Cambrian explosion, but at least Apple has made some attempt to get into the AI wars with Apple Intelligence, even if it seems to be endlessly playing catch-up, tied to a yearly release schedule when the rest of the AI market was simply reinventing itself every three months.

Alexa+ on a Fire TV. (Image credit: Amazon) Alexa is back, baby

But now Alexa is back, and it’s got a bit of an attitude. One thing I noticed about yesterday’s Alexa+ demo from Amazon was that the presenters, like Amazon Devices lead Panos Panay, frequently referred to Alexa as “her”, and there was absolutely no mention of changing Alexa to a different voice, or even changing “her” gender. (I still find it weird to call an AI either “he” or “she”, so I’m sticking with “it” in this article. Don’t cancel me, please.)

In contrast, when OpenAI introduced ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode, adding a realistic voice for the first time to ChatGPT, it put a lot of effort into showing off all the different voices you could get it to use, half of which are male and half of which are female. Apple’s Siri is also very cosmopolitan. It can talk in multiple accents and offers a choice between male and female voices.

To be clear, I think it’s unlikely that Amazon won’t offer a way to customize the voice of Alexa+ – you can get the current Alexa to change voices by simply saying “Change voice” – but Amazon is clearly trying to present Alexa in a more personal and human way than the other big tech companies have so far with their talking AIs.

Fun to talk to

Not only does Amazon refer to Alexa as “her” but she (damnit, see how easy it is to start thinking of Alexa as a person?) has much more of a personality than the responses you get from ChatGPT, Siri and Gemini. Alexa even makes jokes and throws in funny comments. In the videos of the demo of Alexa+ you can see that she (OK, I give in) sounds light, breezy and fun to talk to:

@techradar

♬ original sound - TechRadar

Alexa+ even manages to crack a joke or two:

@techradar

♬ original sound - TechRadar

Incidentally, talking of changing Alexa voices, Amazon used to offer celebrity voices for Alexa as downloads. The US-only feature cost $4.99 each for Samuel L Jackson, Shaquille O-Neal and Melissa McCarthy, but the company pulled them all in 2023. I would love to have been able to talk to a Samuel L Jackson version of Alexa+ with this enlarged range of responses and attitude. Can you imagine how cool it would be if Samuel L Jackson Alexa+ could channel some of the energy from his movie roles into your Alexa device? Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction telling me what’s on my calendar today and that yes, "I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers", would pump start my day in a way that no amount of caffeine could ever match.

In contrast, talking to ChatGPT or Siri at the moment lacks the same sort of emotional spark that even basic Alexa+ has. They are functional, yes, but not as fun as the direction Amazon is taking Alexa+. By making an AI chatbot with a bit of personality Amazon might have just found a niche that means it can recover from its slow start in the AI arms race. Not to mention that Alexa+ is designed primarily to be on a device that sits in your home, not on a phone in your pocket or a computer at your desk. While that might not be much of a technical difference, the difference in the way you use Alexa+ means you’re in a different location, at a different distance, and ultimately in a different frame of mind when you use it. Nobody is expecting Alexa+ to be able to produce C++ code, for example. Alexa+ is simply there for all the fun things in life like playing music, watching movies and reading your kids a story. Sure, it can do clever things like book a meal at your favorite restaurant and organize your diary, too, but while Apple or OpenAI are going to own the AI in your pocket or at work, it’s looking like Amazon is going to own the AI in your home. I just wish it would bring back the custom voices, so Alexa+ can truly be his or her brother's keeper.

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• OpenAI is reportedly going to add Sora to the ChatGPT app
• As yet there's no timeline for the integration
• The full Sora experience will continue to be a separate app

Having launched in the US last December, and going live for a bunch of European countries earlier this week, OpenAI's video generation tool Sora is expanding quickly – and the plan is to eventually put it inside the ChatGPT interface.

That's according to discussions at a company meeting, as reported by TechCrunch. Right now, Sora lives on its own separate website, and isn't part of the ChatGPT apps on web or mobile – apps that do include image generation capabilities.

Sora product lead Rohan Sahai apparently said that OpenAI has plans to put Sora in more places, as well as to build on the features and tools of the AI video maker. However, it seems likely Sora would also remain as a separate, standalone experience too.

The version of Sora put inside ChatGPT may not be as comprehensive as the current web tool, Sahai admitted. Part of the reason the integration isn't already in place is to avoid cluttering up the ChatGPT interface too much.

More on the way

The Sora web interface (Image credit: Future)

Right now there's no timeline for any of this, though Sora inside ChatGPT could help drive more paid subscriptions: right now, you need to be a ChatGPT Plus ($20-a-month) or ChatGPT Pro ($200-a-month) subscriber to be able to use Sora.

You get different limits on video resolution and the number of videos you make, depending on how much you pay. Every user gets a certain number of credits each month, and videos that are longer and of higher quality cost more credits.

The same user credentials are used to sign into both ChatGPT and Sora, so some of the work is already done. However, the Sora website has elements like a featured video showcase that would be difficult to cram into ChatGPT.

Sahai reportedly also said that an improved version of the AI model running underneath Sora is on the way, and said that OpenAI was also working on an image generator powered by Sora that could produce more photorealistic images. Stay tuned.

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