The Panicked Voice on the Phone Sounded Like Her Daughter. It Wasn't.
Linda Roan was making herself a bowl of soup on a Monday evening in February when her cellphone rang. The call was from a local number, so she answered. “Mom, I’m OK, but something awful has happened,” a young woman sobbed. “I need your help. Roan immediately recognized the voice: It sounded like the youngest of her three adult daughters.
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As Roan headed to Walmart, the man advised her to drive carefully and obey the speed limit. He told her to put her phone on speaker and conceal it. He’d be listening the whole time, and if she went off script, he’d know. When she arrived, she secured her phone inside her shirt and went inside. But she was told she couldn’t wire money using a credit card—only a debit card, which she didn’t have.
The man on the phone instructed her to drive home and do a Western Union transfer online. He had timed her drive to Walmart and gave her 16 minutes, he said. If she stopped, he’d know. When she got home, the man told her how to initiate a wire transfer online, but to complete it, she had to call a number. She told the agent the story about her brother-in-law with Covid and successfully wired $1,000 to Mexico.
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He told Roan they could finally end things if she wired another $1,000 through MoneyGram, switching services to avoid suspicion. After the money went through, the man said he was letting Roan’s daughter go and hung up. Roan immediately dialed her daughter, but she didn’t pick up. She tried again. And again. On the fourth try, her daughter answered. “Mom, what is going on?” She was in her apartment, safe and unaware of what Roan had been through. Roan sobbed with relief.
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Criminals increasingly use generative AI to mimic a loved one’s voice, making these kinds of scams more believable, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned. It takes just three seconds of audio to clone a voice with 85% accuracy, according to the security-software firm McAfee, whose survey of 7,000 people globally found that more than half regularly share voice content online.
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I was thinking that she was lucky to be out of only $2,000. Also, that I normally use landline to answer ph9nes. I would not be able to carry it to Walmart...
However, while talking to the scammer I would use my cell to call the loved ones to see if they are safe..
Of course, when we get calls from our "grandson" or "granddaughter" we immediately hang up.
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