It may start as a simple voicemail from a loved one or even your boss saying they need you to wire money. You transfer the cash, only to find out the voicemail was fake.

New software is allowing con artists to take just a few words from a small audio sample to mimic someone's voice. Scammers then use that technology to create voicemail messages to convince you to send them money.

Businesses may be among the first to be targeted, but it likely won't stop there. The technology could also be used for emergency scams, which prey on people's willingness to send money to a friend or relative in need. Also, with the U.S. now in the middle of the 2020 election season, the technology could be used to copy candidates voices and drum up donations.

Jason Meza with Better Business Bureau says there are a couple of things you can to do to protect yourself.

"If you get a voicemail you might want to pick up the phone and call the person directly or wait for instruction in person to verify that the call really came from them, especially if it was a very important voicemail."

How to Avoid a Business Compromise Scam:

• Secure accounts: Set up multifactor authentication for email logins and other changes in email settings. Be sure to verify changes in information about customers, employees, or vendors.
• Train staff: Create a secure culture at your office by training employees on internet security. Make it a policy to confirm all change and payment requests before making a transfer. Don’t rely on email or voicemail.

Even though this is a growing problem, there are some good and legitimate uses for the technology as well, a group of experts told the Federal Trade Commission during a workshop on voice cloning back in January.

If you’ve been the victim of a scam, you are asked to report it at BBB.org/ScamTracker. Your report can help expose scammers’ tactics and prevent others from having a similar experience.

SEGUIN, Texas - The death of George Floyd has brought intense scrutiny on the ways police restrain suspects. One local police chief, who has been training officers for more than 25 years, spoke to us and demonstrated a technique he says can prevent in-custody deaths.

That's a key distinction: if the suspect isn't yet in-custody and is combative most departments follow something called the Use-of-Force Matrix. It’s designed to apply only enough force to get the suspect under control.

But what about when they're no longer putting up any resistance, which seems to have been the case with George Floyd in Minneapolis?

Seguin Police Chief Terry Nichols, a long-time use of force trainer, says the focus must quickly change.

“At that point in time he is a prisoner, he is in handcuffs, we have a legal obligation and a moral obligation to protect prisoners," Nichols said.

While the image of one officer's knee on Floyd's neck evoked the most outrage, Nichols says keeping a suspect on their stomach while putting weight on their back is also dangerous.

“We know, and we've known for years, that putting people restrained on the ground on the stomach can cause what we refer to as positional asphyxia, meaning you can't breathe," Nichols explained.

Nichols and his officers demonstrated, on Jaie Avila, how many police departments in Texas avoid that danger using a device called The Wrap.

"The first thing we do, we want to secure your legs, we want your legs secure because people often kick," Nichols said, as he and another officer buckled a series of straps around Jaie’s legs.

The idea is to get the suspect off of his stomach quickly, while keeping him restrained, so he cannot hurt officers or himself, by trying to break out the windows of the police car, for example.

In seconds, the officers had secured the legs and proceeded to wrap straps around the torso.

"I'll come up underneath your arms, now we're going to roll you over on your side. We're going to protect your head when we do, and we're going to lift you up on your butt. Again, you can't kick us right now. There's not much you can do, and I'm securing your back so you can't go backwards," Nichols said.

The experience was a bit disorienting, but the device wasn't all that uncomfortable.

Several officers can use handles to lift the suspect into a police vehicle. Nichols says that's often a volatile moment when suspects start struggling again trying to avoid going to jail.

The Wrap device has been around since the ‘90's. Neither SAPD nor the Bexar County Sheriff's Office use it, but more than one hundred Texas police departments do.