Scammers can easily use voice-cloning AI to con family members: expert
CBC
The woman doesn't usually answer calls from unknown numbers, but this time she did. Her grandson was on the line, saying he'd been in an accident and rear-ended a pregnant woman.
"They towed my car and I'm headed to the police station. Just keep this between us," he said.
The 75-year-old woman, who CBC is calling Jane, was in shock. CBC has agreed not to use her real name in this story.
Jane now knows she was the target of what is known as the grandparent scam. Experts say scammers are now starting to use AI to make the schemes more effective.
Jane was sure that the voice she was hearing was her grandson's.
"It was just that it sounded so much like my grandson," she said. "One time I did have a phone call, some guy phoned and said 'this is your son' and I knew it wasn't my son and I just hung up because I knew his voice on the phone. But not this time."
Her "grandson" told her to stay on the line and put on someone claiming to be his lawyer. The lawyer said he needed bail money or Jane's grandson would have to spend the next few weeks in jail. He said he needed $7,150 in cash and that there was a gag order, so she couldn't tell anyone about it.
"I went to the bank, told them a story that I was buying my grandson a car for his graduation. I go and get the money, put it in an envelope. The lawyer phones back and makes arrangements for a bondsman to come and collect the money," Jane said.
A man dressed in plain clothes came to her house and took the money.
The next morning Jane got another phone call saying the woman from the crash had a miscarriage and they were suing for $20,000.
"I can't get that much, I can get 10 [thousand]. So I went back to the bank that morning and got it," she said.
Jane said the person who called told her they couldn't send somebody to pick the money up this time, so she would have to mail the cash.
Jane had an appointment that day and couldn't go out. The man said he would phone her the next morning by 8:30 a.m., but he did not.
In the meantime, Jane heard a story on the radio about a scam happening in the area. Saskatoon police had arrested someone who'd scammed people for more than $40,000.
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