TL;DR:
- Scammers in New York City are using AI to mimic the voices of children in distressing phone calls to extort money from parents.
- An Upper West Side mother fell victim to the ruse, believing her daughter had been arrested and injured in a car accident.
- The scammers demanded $15,500 in cash for bail, exploiting the mother’s emotional vulnerability.
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns of AI-driven phone scams, where voice clips are manipulated to deceive victims.
- Consumers lost nearly $8.8 billion to fraud schemes in the past year, with imposter scams being the most common.
- The Upper West Side mother has implemented safety measures and a family code word to prevent future scams.
- Law enforcement faces challenges in investigating these scams due to the use of disposable “burner phones.”
Main AI News:
In a sinister twist on phone scams, malevolent actors have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to dupe parents in New York City. The Post has uncovered this disturbing trend, which preys on the vulnerability of parents, striking fear into their hearts while impersonating their own children in distressing phone calls.
One Upper West Side mother shared her harrowing experience with The Post. Last week, she received a call that seemed to emanate from the anguished voice of her 14-year-old daughter. Sobbing uncontrollably, the voice on the other end pleaded, “Mommy, I just got arrested. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” Distraught and frantic, the mother was then transferred to an individual posing as a “police officer” who wove a complex narrative involving her daughter, including accusations of underage driving, a collision with a pregnant woman’s car, and the subsequent hospitalization of the supposed “victim.”
The fabricated story reached its climax when the faux police officer demanded an exorbitant sum of $15,500 in cash to be hand-delivered to Manhattan Central Booking for her daughter’s release. In her desperation, the mother rushed to the bank to withdraw the cash, prepared to journey downtown to rescue her child. However, a sudden call from her daughter, who was safely at school taking a chemistry exam, shattered the illusion.
In hindsight, the signs of fraud were apparent, yet the emotional turmoil of hearing her child’s voice overrode her judgment. “I’m aware it was really stupid – and I’m not a stupid person – but when you hear your child’s voice, screaming, crying, it just puts you on a different level,” the mother later confessed.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, she promptly reported the incident to the NYPD’s 20th Precinct. Shockingly, she learned that another resident on her block had fallen victim to the same con artists, surrendering a significant sum of money.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued an initial warning about AI-powered phone scams in March, which have since spread nationwide. Fraudsters acquire voice clips from unsuspecting victims through spam calls or social media content. These clips are then fed into voice-cloning programs, allowing them to manipulate the voice to say virtually anything.
According to the FTC, consumers collectively lost nearly $8.8 billion to fraud schemes in the past year, marking a 30% increase from the previous year. These schemes, now bolstered by AI, are particularly prevalent in the form of imposter scams, with an average loss of $1,400 per victim over the phone. While younger adults reported falling victim to such scams more frequently, older adults suffered more substantial financial losses.
Meanwhile, the traumatized Upper West Side mother has taken steps to safeguard her family. She has ceased posting on social media and implemented a code word among her family members to prevent any future incidents of this nature. She acknowledged the futility of filing a police report, understanding that these scammers likely employ disposable “burner phones.”
Yet, the absence of formal reports has left law enforcement with limited insights into this emerging trend. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office stated that while they have not yet encountered AI being utilized in this manner, they have prosecuted similar bail-related phone scams in the past. The emergence of AI-driven scams underscores the importance of vigilance and awareness in our increasingly digital world.
Conclusion:
The emergence of AI-enhanced phone scams targeting parents highlights the growing sophistication of fraud schemes in the digital age. The significant financial losses reported by consumers and the challenges faced by law enforcement underscore the need for increased awareness and vigilance in the market to combat such deceptive tactics and protect individuals from financial harm.
