-Dad, I was in a car accident- AI imitation tricked a Californian man out of 25,000

“On the day of the incident, Anthony (a pseudonym) received a call that sounded just like his son’s voice, saying, ‘Dad, I was in a car accident!’ The caller claimed that he had injured a pregnant woman, who had been rushed to the hospital. After a brief conversation, a ‘lawyer’ named Michael Roberts called, informing him that his son had been arrested and that he needed to pay $9,200 for bail. Unable to reach his son, Anthony assumed the worst and rushed to the bank to withdraw the money, following instructions to hand it over to an Uber driver.

But the scam didn’t stop there. Shortly after, Anthony received another call from a lawyer named Mark Cohen, who informed him that the pregnant woman had unfortunately passed away, and the bail amount had now increased to $25,000. Again, Anthony hurried back to the bank to withdraw cash and arranged for yet another Uber driver to collect the second sum. It wasn’t until he and his daughter searched online for more information after the ordeal that they realized they had been scammed.

Chelsea Sager, the investigator with the Los Angeles Police Department, noted that scammers not only used AI technology to mimic voices but also gathered personal information about the victims and their families from social media to make their schemes more believable. Scammers often create a sense of urgency during calls, pressuring their victims into sending money before they have a chance to verify the situation.

Determined to prevent others from falling victim to similar scams, Anthony chose to share his experience. He urged the public to remain vigilant and protect themselves and their families, emphasizing that this was the main reason he wanted to speak out.

Authorities remind individuals to stay calm when receiving emergency calls and to try to verify the situation directly with the person involved. They caution against trusting unfamiliar calls that demand immediate payments, especially those asking for cryptocurrency transactions. It’s also essential to monitor social media privacy settings and avoid oversharing personal information. Sager particularly stressed that if anyone asks to deposit money into a cryptocurrency ATM or transfer it to a crypto account, it’s very likely a scam.”