AI voice cloning scams target families with fake kidnapping calls - investigatetv.com
A mother lost thousands of dollars in a voice cloning scam where criminals used AI to mimic her daughter's voice, claiming she'd been kidnapped after a car accident.
- Incident date
- Jan 2026
- Target
- Rachel's daughter
In January 2026, a mother was targeted in a voice cloning scam where criminals used AI to convincingly mimic her daughter's voice during a fake kidnapping call. The scam resulted in significant financial loss and emotional distress for the victim.
What happened
A mother, identified as Rachel, received a call that appeared to be from her college-aged daughter, with the caller ID displaying her daughter's name and phone number. The caller, sounding exactly like her daughter, claimed to have been in a car accident and subsequently kidnapped. Over nearly two hours, the scammer, impersonating a kidnapper, instructed Rachel to wire money to Mexico via Walmart and Walgreens, creating the illusion of constant surveillance. Rachel wired the money, but realized it was a scam after finally reaching her real daughter on another phone line.