Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Father warns others about AI voice scams after his family lost $1k
ABC News ^ | May 16, 2023 | Anthony McMahon & Sean Sanders

Posted on 05/17/2023 5:06:43 PM PDT by Twotone

A father in Texas is sharing a warning to other families about artificial intelligence scams after he said his father was scammed out of $1,000.

“When you're in anxiety and panic, when you're there to help your family, I think logic gets thrown out the window,” Lee Hall told "Good Morning America." "That's what the scammers are betting on, so now we have to raise our level of sophistication so these things won't happen to our loved ones."

Hall said his father, whom he didn’t name, received a distressed call he thought was from his grandson, Christian, who is Hall's son.

“He told his grandfather that he was vacationing in Mexico with his friends. Got in trouble. Scared to death. He got into a little bit of drinking and got into an accident and now that's the reason why he's in a little bit of trouble and he needs some money to get him out of that situation," Hall said of the call his father received, believing it was from Christian.

The scammer allegedly used artificial intelligence, known as AI, to impersonate Christian’s voice to plead for help and money, according to Hall.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ai; scam; voicecloning
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-39 next last

1 posted on 05/17/2023 5:06:43 PM PDT by Twotone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Twotone

ESTABLISH CODE WORDS WITH YOUR FAMILY! (and get a dash cam)


2 posted on 05/17/2023 5:08:22 PM PDT by OSHA (Dale Carnegie has a restraining order against me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

Then.....

Father: Oh, and all this time I never told you. I am a robot.
That’s why I always failed at the Captcha tests.


3 posted on 05/17/2023 5:08:25 PM PDT by frank ballenger (You have summoned up a thundercloud. You're gonna hear from me. Anthem by Leonard Cohen)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

my dad was scammed years ago with a phone call from someone who said they were FBI. They were working a case and needed my dad to approve a collect call to help catch a crook.


4 posted on 05/17/2023 5:09:42 PM PDT by Jonny7797
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

People still answer the phone?


5 posted on 05/17/2023 5:16:27 PM PDT by Trailerpark Badass (“There should be a whole lot more going on than throwing bleach,” said one woman)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: OSHA

Or you could just contact your family members to verify the story. Never trust emails and phone calls that ask for information or money.


6 posted on 05/17/2023 5:17:14 PM PDT by Varda
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

The old “Grampa I’m in Jail!” scam had them try and pull that on me several times.


7 posted on 05/17/2023 5:17:44 PM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (“No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.”)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: OSHA

Excellent idea, excellent!


8 posted on 05/17/2023 5:19:38 PM PDT by moovova ("The NEXT election is the most important election of our lifetimes!“ LOL...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Jonny7797

That’s a detailed and rather elaborate lie.
What was supposed to be the payoff? Just getting your Dad to accept a collect phone call he may not have wanted?
Did they ask him for a bank account and routing number?
That would have made their goal more obvious.

Nowadays, I don’t think there are any ‘collect calls’, since the price of long distance has gotten so low cost.


9 posted on 05/17/2023 5:20:19 PM PDT by lee martell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

My son has a Ph.D. in A.I. and lives in Silicon Valley.

He just published a paper about trying to establish morality in A.I. (Made me a happy Mom!)

I don’t think it’s gonna happen.

A.I. is going to used to put us on our knees.


10 posted on 05/17/2023 5:20:20 PM PDT by lizma2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Jonny7797

My wife gets about 3 calls a year with a young male voice claiming to be her grandson on our land lines.


11 posted on 05/17/2023 5:27:48 PM PDT by Grampa Dave (We have no shortage of experts, who state things as fact, but really have no idea!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

today anything can be fake.

Voice, news, voice, video, seriously you cannot even believe Porn is real.

at least back in the beta tape porn days you knew it was all real.


12 posted on 05/17/2023 5:31:52 PM PDT by algore
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

AI is going to render the internet useless as a source of information. As much potential as AI has, we will soon start hearing calls to ban it, and we’re just getting started.


13 posted on 05/17/2023 5:36:42 PM PDT by bigbob (Q)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lee martell

Most of the collect call scams used to come from inmates who would often try to use your number to connect to someone else, likely to conceal who they had spoken to or something.


14 posted on 05/17/2023 5:40:27 PM PDT by Zack Attack
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: lizma2

bttt


15 posted on 05/17/2023 5:43:04 PM PDT by linMcHlp
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

Must be someone who knows them to get a voice sample for the AI?


16 posted on 05/17/2023 5:43:13 PM PDT by Zack Attack
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: OSHA
ESTABLISH CODE WORDS WITH YOUR FAMILY! (and get a dash cam)

Yep.

You actually need more then one.

One to let them know it is you and one to let them know you are not under duress.

17 posted on 05/17/2023 5:46:07 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Follow the money. Even if it leads you to someplace horrible it will still lead you to the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Zack Attack
TikToc, Facebook, Youtube.

You would be surprised how many people have let their voice be recorded and put out there for all the world to hear, record and use as they wish.

18 posted on 05/17/2023 5:48:36 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Follow the money. Even if it leads you to someplace horrible it will still lead you to the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Zack Attack

I used wonder how inmates in prison could possibly have access to a phone allowing for private messages to be sent. I don’t wonder any longer. Cell phones are nearly everywhere now, if you can find some way to buy one and keep it powered up.


19 posted on 05/17/2023 5:49:32 PM PDT by lee martell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Varda

Not always possible.

“I’ve been kidnapped they are going to kill me if you hang up.”

“I’m in Mexico and there is no way to call me back.”

Now what? You could have taken 2 minutes to establish a code word.


20 posted on 05/17/2023 5:49:49 PM PDT by OSHA (Dale Carnegie has a restraining order against me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-39 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson