Nearly all of one California family's savings disappeared after a single frightening phone call, a father said.
Glen Givens told FOX 5 he handed over $18,000 in cash after hearing what sounded like his daughter crying on the phone, and he now believes artificial intelligence may have helped make the scam believable.
What happened?
The network reports that on June 22, the Poway resident said someone called his work phone and identified himself as a police officer. According to Givens' account to FOX 5, the man said his daughter had been arrested after a serious crash that injured a pregnant woman.
He relayed that the caller also mentioned private details about his daughter, including a medical condition from her childhood.
"He said, 'I know your daughter has a medical condition,'" Givens recalled to FOX 5. "So he knew that, so that checked out."
A woman then came on the line, and Givens believed he was hearing his daughter.
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"It was exactly — I mean exactly — my daughter's voice to a T," he recounted to the station. "She was crying and basically telling me, 'I'm so sorry, Dad. It was an accident.'"
After withdrawing nearly all of their savings, Givens and his wife met a courier in a CVS parking lot and turned over the cash, but only after checking the driver's identification, FOX 5 reported.
He did not realize it was a scam until later, when he reached his actual daughter, the station noted.
"It was very well orchestrated," he assessed in comments to the station. "Unfortunately, in my tired state, I fell for it, and I'm out $18,000."
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Why does it matter?
AI is making old-fashioned fraud far more convincing. A scam that once might have relied on panic and vague claims can now be bolstered by a cloned voice, personal details, and a believable story.
In Givens' case, he told FOX 5 that a difficult day had left him exhausted, even though he is usually careful about spotting red flags.
"I wasn't feeling well," he said to the station. "Normally, I'm very conscientious of scams, but this one was off the charts deceptive."
While AI can contribute positives to society by optimizing clean energy or boosting conservation, scammers are increasingly channeling it to prop up scams and manipulate chatbots. That can outweigh the possible benefits, especially when combined with negatives like its energy and water demands.
What can I do?
In the aftermath, Givens has urged people to pause and confirm any supposed emergency before handing over money, withdrawing cash, or sharing personal information.
"Don't trust a voice on the phone," Givens told FOX 5. "AI can be used for good things, but as I'm attesting to right now, it can be very evil in the wrong hands."
If someone says a loved one is in trouble, hang up and check directly with that person or with another trusted family member.
It can also help to create a family safe word or phrase that only close relatives know. If someone insists on secrecy, immediate payment, or a cash handoff to a courier, that should be treated as a major warning sign.
Givens' family later created an online fundraiser in hopes of recovering some of the money, FOX 5 shared.
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