A father in Texas is sharing a warning to other families about artificial intelligence scams after he said his father was scammed out of $1,000. The incident serves as a reminder of the increasing sophistication of scammers and the need for heightened awareness to protect loved ones.
Lee Hall, the concerned father, emphasized the importance of staying vigilant and not letting panic override logical thinking. He stated, “When you’re in anxiety and panic, when you’re there to help your family, I think logic gets thrown out the window… That’s what the scammers are betting on, so now we have to raise our level of sophistication so these things won’t happen to our loved ones.”
According to Hall, his father received a distressed call that he believed was from his grandson, Christian, Hall’s own son. The scammer, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), managed to impersonate Christian’s voice, pleading for help and money. Hall’s father, convinced by the convincing performance, sent $1,000 to the alleged scammer.
Hall expressed his shock at the scam’s believability, especially considering that his father has no online presence or social media accounts. He said, “But the fact that they still connected my son, that makes it even scarier.”
The realization that they had fallen victim to a scam came when Hall and his wife contacted their son directly and confirmed his safety. Christian, a college student, was indeed in Dallas, contrary to the story presented by the scammer.
This incident is not an isolated one. Jennifer DeStefano, a mother in Arizona, also shared her experience with an AI voice-cloning scheme. She received a distressing call impersonating her daughter, pleading for help and demanding a ransom. Fortunately, DeStefano quickly confirmed her daughter’s safety and avoided further harm.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned about the rise of AI-based scams, where scammers clone voices using short audio clips often found on social media. Impersonator scams were the highest reported scams in 2022, resulting in $2.6 billion in losses, according to the FTC.
To protect your family against AI scams, experts recommend the following measures:
- Remain calm and contact the authorities if you receive a suspicious call. Scammers thrive on exploiting personal connections and triggering hasty actions.
- Be wary of demands for wire transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. These are major red flags indicating a potential scam.
- Keep social media accounts private to prevent scammers from replicating your voice using publicly available content.
- When receiving suspicious calls, hang up and call your loved ones directly using a known, trusted number instead of redialing the incoming call.
- Establish a unique code word among family members that can be used to verify emergencies. This code word will help ensure genuine distress signals.
With scammers leveraging AI and voice-cloning technology to manipulate individuals emotionally, it is crucial to stay informed and cautious. By implementing these preventive measures, families can better safeguard themselves against the growing threat of AI scams.