An AI voice detector checks a recording: a voicemail, a voice note or the soundtrack of a clip. It can't listen to a call while it's happening. So there are two jobs. During a call, verify the person without relying on how they sound. Afterwards, scan the file for a second opinion. Imagera's AI Voice Detector handles the second job. It costs 20 credits a scan and returns an AI probability, a confidence figure, a label and the signals behind them.
1.What an AI voice detector does
A detector estimates how likely it is that a recording was generated or cloned by AI. It gives you a score to weigh, not proof. Imagera's check has an audio model listen for synthetic-voice and generated-music artifacts, then explain what it heard. Each scan returns:
- an AI probability from 0 to 100%
- a confidence figure for that probability
- a label, with the signals that drove it
Imagera does not publish an accuracy percentage for its detectors, because it has not run a benchmark that could support one. The same caution applies to any score: compression, background noise and editing all move it.
1.1Other voice detectors you'll come across
These are the tools people search for alongside "AI voice detector", described from each company's own page as of 30 September 2026:
| Tool | What it checks | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Imagera AI Voice Detector | Any uploaded recording (MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC; iPhone M4A is converted in the browser), up to 5 minutes | Returns the signals behind the score. 20 credits a scan |
| ElevenLabs AI Speech Classifier | Whether audio was made with ElevenLabs voice technology | Uses only the first minute. Its page says it "does not reliably classify audio generated with the Eleven v3 model" |
| Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector | Voices in video or audio you play in Chrome | A browser extension for content you're watching, not an upload tool |
| Hive AI-generated content detection | Images, video and audio, with segment-level scoring for audio | Built for platforms, with a demo and a Chrome extension |
The ElevenLabs classifier only answers one question: did this come from ElevenLabs? A voice cloned with another tool can pass it, so treat a low score there as "not ElevenLabs", not "human".
2.How to check a recording
Screenshot: the Audio tab, captured on 22 September 2026.
2.1Step 1: Get the original file
Export the voicemail or voice note itself. Don't record it playing through a speaker: a second recording adds room noise and loses detail.
2.2Step 2: Trim to the voice, up to 5 minutes
Keep the part where the caller speaks and cut long silences or hold music. Skip noise-removal and "enhance" filters, because they change the same properties the check listens to.
2.3Step 3: Run the scan
Open the AI Voice Detector, add the file and run it. The credit cost shows before you confirm. You can also use the Audio tab on the detector page.
2.4Step 4: Read the result as evidence, not a verdict
| What you see | What it tells you | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| High AI probability, high confidence | Strong signs of a synthetic voice | Treat the call as a scam. Keep the file and report it. |
| Low AI probability | No strong synthetic signals in this file | It doesn't clear the caller. An impostor can use their own voice, and phone compression can hide signals. Call back. |
| Middle probability or low confidence | Weak evidence either way | Don't rely on it. The callback and code word decide. |
3.What a voice detector can't do
- Check a live call. It analyzes recordings you upload afterwards.
- Identify the speaker. It tells you about the recording, not who is talking or whether their story is true.
- Give certainty on phone audio. Calls and voice notes are compressed, which throws away detail, so give those results less weight.
- Replace verification. Never accuse someone, or approve a payment, on a score alone.
4.On a live call: the 60-second check
A cloned voice can have the right accent, the right nickname and real-sounding panic, so don't try to decide by ear. The FTC's advice on family emergency schemes is blunt: "Don't trust the voice."
Illustration: hang up, then call back on the number you already have saved.
4.1Step 1: Buy time with one sentence
Say "I'll call you right back" and end the call. The scam depends on urgency. Someone who really needs you can wait two minutes.
4.2Step 2: Call back on a number you already have
Use a number you know is theirs, not one the caller gave you. Caller ID can be faked. If you can't reach them, the FTC suggests contacting another relative or one of their friends.
4.3Step 3: Ask for the code word
The FBI tells families to "create a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity" (IC3, December 2024). Agree on it in person, and make the caller say it first.
4.4Step 4: Ask something only they would know
Ask about something recent and private. A pet's name or a school name is often public, so it proves nothing.
4.5Step 5: Refuse the payment method
Wire transfers, cryptocurrency, gift card numbers and cash couriers are payments you can't take back. A request for any of them is a scam signal, whatever the voice sounds like.
4.6Step 6: Keep the evidence
Don't delete the voicemail. Screenshot the call log and write down what the caller asked for. You'll need it to report the call or scan the recording.
5.Why this matters now
In Hiya's State of the Call 2026 survey (more than 12,000 consumers in six countries, published 2 March 2026), one in four Americans said they had received a deepfake voice call in the past 12 months, and another 24% weren't sure they could tell the difference. The FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report logged 22,364 complaints related to AI, with losses above $893 million, including more than $5 million to voice-cloned "distress" scams.
6.If you already paid, or almost did
- Call whoever moved the money straight away: your bank, the wire service, the gift card issuer (number on the back of the card) or the crypto exchange. The FTC's steps for people who were scammed say to explain it was a scam and ask for a reversal.
- Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and, if you lost money, at ic3.gov. Include the number, times, payment details and the recording.
- Watch for a second scam. The FBI's 20 July 2026 alert warns that criminals pose as IC3 staff to target people who already lost money. The IC3 never contacts people by phone, email or chat. People aged 60 or over who need help filing can call the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline, 1-833-FRAUD-11.
Illustration: agree on the code word in person, not over text.
If the fake arrives as a video, scan it with the AI video detector. For a photo of a face, use the deepfake detector. To learn how clones are made, read what voice cloning is.
