California mom out thousands after scammers use AI to mimic daughter’s voice in fake kidnapping; part of growing trend
Publish Date: 2026-05-26 14:11:00
Source Domain: 6abc.com
- A California woman lost thousands of dollars after scammers used AI to mimic her daughter’s voice in a sophisticated phone scam.
- The scammer initially claimed that the woman’s daughter was kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel, and the fake voice recording heightened the urgency.
- The woman followed the scammer’s instructions, wiring $5,400 to Mexico before realizing it was a scam when her daughter appeared unharmed.
- Experts warn that scammers are increasingly using AI to clone voices, and this new method of fraud is becoming more widespread, termed a “scamdemic.”
- Authorities advise being cautious of urgent requests, especially those involving money, and suggest using secret code words to verify the legitimacy of callers.
- Victims advise not answering random numbers and suggest sharing real-time locations with family as potential safety measures.
- Law enforcement is investigating but the victim does not expect to recover the stolen funds.
