Scam Examples Secria

The AI voice cloning scam

A call in a loved one's voice says they're in trouble and need money now. A scammer can clone a voice from a short clip posted online.1

+1 (202) 555-0172

Voicemail transcript

Grandma, it's me.1 I wrecked the car and I'm in jail. I need help right now.2 A lawyer is going to call you. He says you can send the bail as gift cards and read him the numbers.3

  1. A voice you know. "Don't trust the voice": the FTC says a short clip of a relative's voice is all a cloning program needs.1
  2. A crisis that needs money at once. The FBI says cloned voices of relatives are used to ask for urgent help or a ransom.2
  3. Gift cards, wires or crypto. Scammers ask for payment that's hard to get back.1

What to do Hang up and call the person on a number you know is theirs. Can't reach them? Try another family member.1

Rebuilt from the FTC's family emergency alert; the words and number are made up. Checked 4 November 2026 against the sources.

Where AI turned up in 2025

The FBI got 22,364 complaints mentioning AI in 2025, with losses of $893,346,472. Four of the uses it describes.3

  1. The distress call.A cloned voice of a loved one in trouble. Victims reported losses of over $5 million to these in 2025.3
  2. The celebrity investment video.AI videos and voices of celebrities, CEOs or trusted figures. Investment losses with an AI link passed $632 million.3
  3. The boss on the phone.A cloned voice asks staff to wire money. Businesses lost over $30 million to email compromise scams involving AI.3
  4. The job interview.A voice deepfake in an online interview, where lips and audio don't line up. Losses were almost $13 million.3

Two habits that beat a cloned voice

A family code word

The FBI suggests agreeing a secret word or phrase with your family, so you can check who is really calling.2

Pick one that isn't posted anywhere online.

Call back yourself

Hang up, find the number of the person or bank yourself, and call it directly.2 The FTC says to verify the story with the person who supposedly called.1

A real emergency survives a two-minute check.

If you already paid

  1. Call whoever moved the money today: your bank, the gift card company, the wire service or the crypto exchange, and ask for it back.4
  2. Report it at ic3.gov with the caller's details, how you paid and what they told you to do.2
  3. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.1 Where to report each kind of scam

Questions people ask

How do scammers get someone's voice?

From a short audio clip, which can come from content posted online.1 The FBI suggests keeping social accounts private and limiting how much of your voice and image is online.2

How can I tell if a voice is AI?

The FBI says to listen closely to tone and word choice, and in video to look for odd hands, teeth, eyes, shadows or lag.2 Don't rely on that alone: call the person back.1

Can a cloned voice get into my bank account?

The FBI says criminals have used AI audio clips of people to get into their bank accounts.2 Ask your bank how it verifies callers.

Is it a crime to make an AI voice?

Making synthetic content isn't illegal in itself, the FBI says, but it can be used for fraud and extortion.2 This is a summary, not legal advice.

More scam examples

Sources 4
  1. Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes (20 March 2023), Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice. Read 4 November 2026.
  2. Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud (I-120324-PSA, 3 December 2024), FBI IC3. Read 4 November 2026.
  3. 2025 Internet Crime Report, "Artificial Intelligence (AI) Used in Cybercrime", FBI IC3. Read 4 November 2026.
  4. What To Do if You Were Scammed (June 2026), Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice. Read 4 November 2026.

Every example is rebuilt from an official alert and made safe, and every source shows the day we read it. How we check