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Woman Bilked Out of Thousands After Scammers Clone Daughter's Voice With AI
An East Bay mother recently answered a call from an unknown number, which turned out to be scammers using AI and deepfake technology to sound like her daughter, whom they said had been kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel — part of a growing trend of scams.
https://sfist.com/2026/05/26/local-woman-bilked-out-of-thousands-after-scammers-clone-daughters-voice-with-ai/
As ABC 7 reports, Deborah Del Mastro, of Martinez, received a call in May from a man claiming her 37-year-old daughter had been kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel after witnessing illegal activity. The caller then played what Del Mastro believed was her daughter screaming, crying, and pleading for help.
Del Mastro said the scammers kept her on the phone for roughly five hours while issuing rapid instructions and warnings not to speak to anyone else. During that time, she reportedly wired about $5,400 from multiple locations before being told her daughter would be released at a grocery store.
When Del Mastro arrived and couldn’t find her, she called her daughter directly and learned she had been at work the entire time, per ABC 7. Authorities and anti-fraud advocates say scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to clone voices using short audio clips pulled from social media, videos, or phone calls.
Erin West of Operation Shamrock tells the outlet that the rise in AI voice-cloning scams signals what she calls a growing “scamdemic,” warning that the technology is becoming more convincing and more widespread. She advises people to be wary of urgent situations involving demands for money, particularly when callers pressure victims to act immediately or avoid contacting others.
Del Mastro said the scammers kept her on the phone for roughly five hours while issuing rapid instructions and warnings not to speak to anyone else. During that time, she reportedly wired about $5,400 from multiple locations before being told her daughter would be released at a grocery store.
When Del Mastro arrived and couldn’t find her, she called her daughter directly and learned she had been at work the entire time, per ABC 7. Authorities and anti-fraud advocates say scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to clone voices using short audio clips pulled from social media, videos, or phone calls.
Erin West of Operation Shamrock tells the outlet that the rise in AI voice-cloning scams signals what she calls a growing “scamdemic,” warning that the technology is becoming more convincing and more widespread. She advises people to be wary of urgent situations involving demands for money, particularly when callers pressure victims to act immediately or avoid contacting others.
Create a private code word to help verify identities during emergencies!!!
How? Here are some ways.
Defend Yourself against AI Impostor Scams with a Safe Word
Fraudsters are using AI voice-cloning services to steal identities. Code words can thwart this deception
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-safe-word-can-protect-against-ai-impostor-scams/
The most common fraud in the U.S. over the past year was the impostor scam. More than 856,000 instances, collectively draining $2.7 billion nationwide, were reported to the Federal Trade Commission in 2023. First, swindlers fake familiarity or authority—maybe by stealing the identity of a friend or relative or claiming to be a bank representative or a federal agent. Then, in that guise, they call, text or e-mail you and attempt to take your money.
And now artificial intelligence has larded these scams with an additional layer of duplicity: inexpensive voice-cloning services that an impersonator can easily abuse to make deceptive—and astonishingly convincing—phone calls in another person’s voice. These AI tools digest speech samples (perhaps snatched from videos posted online or from a supposedly “wrong number” phone call) and generate audio replicas of the stolen voice that can be manipulated to say basically anything.
If there were a golden rule to thwart AI-infused phone scams, it might be something like this: Online or on the phone, treat your family members and friends as though they were an e-mail log-in page. Make up a passcode—a safe word or private phrase—and share it with them in person. Memorize it. If they call you in alarm or under unusual pressure, especially if those concerns are connected to requests for money, ask for the code to verify who is on the other end of the line.
And now artificial intelligence has larded these scams with an additional layer of duplicity: inexpensive voice-cloning services that an impersonator can easily abuse to make deceptive—and astonishingly convincing—phone calls in another person’s voice. These AI tools digest speech samples (perhaps snatched from videos posted online or from a supposedly “wrong number” phone call) and generate audio replicas of the stolen voice that can be manipulated to say basically anything.
If there were a golden rule to thwart AI-infused phone scams, it might be something like this: Online or on the phone, treat your family members and friends as though they were an e-mail log-in page. Make up a passcode—a safe word or private phrase—and share it with them in person. Memorize it. If they call you in alarm or under unusual pressure, especially if those concerns are connected to requests for money, ask for the code to verify who is on the other end of the line.
How To Set Up and Safeguard Your Family Codeword
https://scambusters.org/codeword.html
How To Set Up A Secure Family Codeword
On the face of it, establishing a word or phrase known only to trustworthy friends and family should be straightforward. But there are a few important steps you can take to make it most secure and effective:
• Use a unique word, phrase, or question that’s not easy to guess. So don’t use things like pet or family names or anything, like a nickname, used on social media.
• Don’t share it beyond those close to you. If the message apparently comes from someone you know but not closely, use the personal question tactic.
• Never even tell these others that you have a word or phrase. Keep it totally secret.
• Don’t use email, messaging, or social media to share the word(s) with the trusted ones. They can be intercepted.
___Agree and tell them face-to-face or, at worst, by phone.
• If someone pretending to be family or a friend calls to say they forgot the word(s), ask a personal question to confirm who they are.
• Change the word(s) at least once a year.
• Ensure the trusted ones know and understand the purpose of the code and know how to pronounce it under stress.
• Don’t use complicated words or phrases that might be difficult to remember.
• Set up a secondary code just in case someone genuinely forgets the original.
• Store the codeword or phrase in a safe place, like a password manager or in a location available only to family members.
I'll repost in Computer Help for easier finability.