Woman Says AI Phone Scam Made Her Think Her Brother Was Dead

A new phone scam is reportedly using AI to imitate the voice of someone’s relative or friend to convince them to send money for an emergency.

RELATED STORIES: Teen Accused Of Uploading Explicit Deep Fakes Of Their Teacher

Brook Bush revealed on TikTok that a scammer reportedly targeted her grandfather using AI technology to mimic her brother’s voice. She explained that the scammer said, ‘I’m about to get into a wreck,’ and then the phone suddenly cut off. She said she thought her little brother died in a car accident after her grandfather called her about the phone conversation.

“I immediately thought my brother was dead, I started driving trying to find his location, and he wasn’t picking up. Come to find out that it was a scammer that was trying to get money from my grandpa calling and saying that he went to jail, and that he killed someone. He needed bail money, all for money, he acted like my little brother almost died.”

@babybushwhackedSharing so this doesn’t happen to anyone else

♬ original sound – Brooke Bush

“This almost happened to my dad years ago with my aunt. My dad almost sent money they decided to call her and it wasn’t true. So sad….”

RELATED STORIES: Wait, What!? Scammers Used AI To Clone Daughter’s Voice So They Could Demand $1 Million Ransom From The Mother

Bush said she wanted to make the video to warn others about the AI scam, as it has been circulating on TikTok about how scammers use real voices to obtain money. One commenter said, “this happened a few years ago to my grandpa; they called him & told him that my cousin was drinking (he doesn’t drink) & driving & need bail money! Another suggested using a code word and sharing it between relatives so they can indicate whether they are being conned into giving money.

“my family and I have created a code word in case of situations like this. if they get a call and that word isn’t said then they’ll know it’s not real”

Multiple reports of scammers using AI technology have targeted vulnerable people, such as the elderly. The Daily Dot said in their report that the Federal Trade Commission released a warning in March about the scams as the scammer intentionally targets ‘families by using voice clips and spoofing real phone numbers.

Don’t trust the voice. Call the person who supposedly contacted you and verify the story. Use a phone number you know is theirs. If you can’t reach your loved one, try to contact them through another family member or their friends.

Scammers ask you to pay or send money in ways that make it hard to get your money back. If the caller says to wire money, send cryptocurrency, or buy gift cards and give them the card numbers and PINs, those could be signs of a scam.

The FTC also encouraged reporting the scams as it can be a way to prevent future victims.