Deborah Del Mastro voice deepfake — Oct 2026

A California resident was targeted by a sophisticated voice cloning scam that resulted in a $5,400 financial loss. The victim, Deborah Del Mastro, was kept on the phone for five and a half hours by attackers who used an AI-generated clone of her daughter's voice to simulate a kidnapping emergency.

What happened

The attack began when Del Mastro received a phone call featuring a voice that sounded exactly like her adult daughter, who was crying and begging for help. A man then took over the call, claiming he had kidnapped the daughter and threatening the family's safety. The scammers maintained contact for five and a half hours, using the pressure of the situation to coerce the victim into sending money via wire transfer. The ordeal only concluded when Del Mastro managed to contact her actual daughter, who was safe at work. This incident highlights the increasing use of AI voice synthesis, where scammers leverage audio harvested from social media to create realistic impersonations of family members. By combining these clones with high-pressure tactics and threats, attackers can effectively manipulate victims into bypassing verification steps and transferring funds before the deception is discovered.