(ConcernedPatriot.com) – Parents in New York City are the subject of a devious and sophisticated new phone scam in which con artists use artificial intelligence (AI) to impersonate the worried voices of their victims’ children.
One mother, who was tricked into believing she had been detained by a call that appeared to be from her 14-year-old daughter, says, “I know it was really stupid, and I’m not a stupid person, but when you hear your child’s voice, screaming, crying, it just puts you on a different level.”
Scammers are already AI/deepfake voices to make the "grandma, I've been arrested, send money" scam seem more believable.
Here's Donie using the technology to punk his parents:pic.twitter.com/lYb5GvMRzw
— banner boy (@MissingMeows) March 25, 2023
According to The New York Post, con artists using artificial intelligence (AI) have shocked and terrorized Upper West Side residents by mimicking their children’s voices and fabricating harrowing, realistic scenarios.
A mother described her terrifying experience of receiving a call, sobbing and apologizing, saying she had been arrested from what she thought was her 14-year-old daughter.
The mother was willing to deliver $15,500 in cash as bail because she found the voice convincing—her daughter had rear-ended a pregnant woman’s vehicle while driving while underage.
Her real daughter, who was taking a chemistry exam in school, texted her to reassure her that she was safe, and that’s when the fraud was exposed.
“I know it was really stupid, and I’m not a stupid person,” the mother said, looking back on the episode, “but when you hear your child’s voice, screaming, crying, it just puts you on a different level.”
Since March, the FTC has warned the public about these AI-enhanced phone frauds, highlighting their widespread occurrence. These frauds fall under the larger category of imposter scams, the most widely publicized type of fraud in the previous year.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), customers lost around $8.8 billion to fraud schemes in the previous year, a 30 percent rise from the year before.
According to reports, the average loss made over the phone was $1,400. Younger folks are more likely to fall victim, while older adults lose more money when they do.
Why you should not post the pictures of kids on social media.
The AI revolution is upon us, and with it comes a new set of challenges for parents. One of the most pressing challenges is protecting children from digital identity scams. pic.twitter.com/0nsvZ1WqBq
— Dr Tariq Tramboo (@tariqtramboo) August 12, 2023
The con artists use voice-cloning software, feeding them voice snippets from social media posts or people who answer phishing calls.
This technology creates highly realistic and manipulative scenarios, resulting in severe distress and monetary loss for the victims.
Some locals have stopped using social media in response to these concerning occurrences, and they’ve started using code phrases among family members to help one another from falling for similar con games.
Although they haven’t seen AI utilized this way previously, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has aggressively pursued cases involving various phone frauds involving bail.
They encourage residents of New York to report such scams to their Financial Frauds Bureau.
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