Voice cloning scams are a growing threat. Here's how you can protect yourself. - CBS News
An attorney experienced in fraud describes his near-victimization by a sophisticated AI voice cloning scam that impersonated his son during a fake emergency
- Incident date
- May 2024
- Target
- Gary Schildhorn
Attorney Gary Schildhorn, a professional well-versed in fraud, nearly fell victim to a sophisticated voice cloning scam that mimicked his son's voice during a staged emergency. The incident highlights the growing threat of AI-driven social engineering, where synthetic audio is used to bypass human skepticism and manipulate victims into providing funds under duress.
What happened
The attack began when Schildhorn received a phone call from someone he was certain was his son, Brett. The caller claimed to have been involved in a car accident involving a pregnant woman and stated that he had been arrested. Schildhorn, fully convinced of the caller's identity, engaged with three different entities over the span of two minutes: his son, a fake defense attorney, and a court clerk.
Believing the emergency was genuine, Schildhorn proceeded to drive to a bank to withdraw $9,000 in cash. The deception was only uncovered after he contacted his son’s wife to provide an update, and his actual son called him on FaceTime to confirm that he was safe and that the previous communication had been a scam. Because Schildhorn did not lose any money, law enforcement informed him that there was no legal recourse, noting that the criminals were likely untraceable due to their use of burner phones and cryptocurrency. Following the incident, Schildhorn testified before a Senate committee regarding the lack of remedies for victims of AI-enabled fraud, emphasizing the need for legislative action to address the proliferation of these tools.