AI Voice Clones of Grandchildren Are Tricking Elderly People Into Sending Ransom Money
In 2023, a wave of AI voice cloning scams swept North America targeting elderly people. Fraudsters would clone a grandchild's voice from social media, then call grandparents claiming to be the grandchild in a car accident, arrested, or kidnapped — and urgently needing cash. One grandmother sent $10,000 in cash via courier. A Canadian family lost $21,000 CAD. The FTC issued warnings. The scams work because the cloned voices are indistinguishable from the real person on a phone call.
In 2023, a wave of AI voice cloning scams swept North America targeting elderly people. Fraudsters would clone a grandchild's voice from social media, then call grandparents claiming to be the grandchild in a car accident, arrested, or kidnapped — and urgently needing cash. One grandmother sent $10,000 in cash via courier. A Canadian family lost $21,000 CAD. The FTC issued warnings. The scams work because the cloned voices are indistinguishable from the real person on a phone call.
Weirdness Classification
9/10 — Deeply unhinged
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