With the advent of artificial intelligence, its potential applications continue to grow. Ideally, this technology is promoted to enhance efficiency and productivity. However, some have begun exploiting it forcriminal purposes, often targeting ordinary people.
Such was the case for a California Bay Area woman who was scammed after being led to believe her daughter had been kidnapped. Deborah Del Mastro said she received a call from an unknown male who claimed to have abducted her 37-year-old daughter, Sarah, and demanded money for her safe return.
As a parent, it was understandable she took the call seriously. To prove it was real, the perpetrators played what Del Mastro believed was her daughter's voice, which she said sounded authentic.
'It was my daughter's voice having an absolute panic attack, scared, telling me "I love you, Mum, I'm so sorry, I'm so scared," and then they just cut it off,' Del Mastro shared in a report by ABC7.
At that point, Deborah said she panicked. She listened to the caller's instructions, who demanded $5,400 for her daughter's supposed release and safety.
Del Mastro wired the amount to the alleged abductor and was told her daughter would be released at a grocery store. When she arrived at the meeting place, her daughter was nowhere in sight.
She tried to call Sarah, who unexpectedly answered. It turned out that Sarah was at work and had never been in danger. It was at this point that Del Mastro realised she had fallen victim to a scam.
'God, I couldn't believe it. I mean, I couldn't believe it. And then I did believe it,' Del Mastro said.
The Del Mastro case highlights how costly AI-enabled scams can be when exploited by criminals. Voice cloning, one of the technology's emerging capabilities, has made it easier for scammers to impersonate loved ones and pressure victims into sending money.
Erin West from Operation Shamrock, an initiative focused on disrupting organized scam networks, saidcriminals are increasingly using AI to prey on unsuspecting victims.
Source: International Business Times UK
