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AI Voice Scam: Mom Duped Out of Thousands
7 Oct
Summary
- A mother lost $5,400 after a caller used AI to fake her daughter's voice.
- The scammer kept the mother on the phone for five and a half hours.
- The mother's daughter recognized the voice as a potential AI clone.
A recent virtual kidnapping scam targeted a mother using advanced AI voice-cloning technology. The victim, Deborah Del Mastro, received a call from someone claiming to hold her daughter hostage, demanding $20,000. The scammer convinced her by playing a voice that sounded exactly like her daughter in distress.
For five and a half hours, Del Mastro was controlled by the caller, moving between locations to wire money. She ultimately sent $5,400 through MoneyGram and Western Union. Her own daughter later suggested the voice may have been an AI clone, a technology that federal authorities have warned about.
The scam, an old tactic with new technology, relied on keeping the victim isolated and on the phone. Experts advise families to establish verification methods like safe words or direct calls to loved ones to prevent falling victim to such schemes.
