US man warns of AI voice-cloning scam after parents almost end up paying Rs 25 lakh

A Florida man shares how his parents were almost scammed after AI was used to clone his voice which tricked them into believing he was in trouble and needed bail money.

In Short

• US man revealed how his parents were nearly scammed out of Rs 25 lakh
• Fraudsters used AI to mimic his voice in fake accident scenario
• His father almost fell for it and was about to pay the money

A man from Florida state of the US revealed how his parents were almost scammed out of $30,000 (Rs 25 lakh) through a voice-cloning AI scam.

Jay Shooster, who is currently running for the Florida State House, shared how fraudsters used AI to mimic his voice and tricked his parents into believing he had been in a car accident, arrested, and urgently needed bail money.

“My dad got a phone call no parent ever wants to get. He heard me tell him I was in a serious car accident, injured, and under arrest for a DUI and I needed $30,000 to be bailed out of jail,” he said in a post on X.

Shooster explained that the scammers had only used 15 seconds of his voice taken from a recent appearance on TV to craft a convincing voice.

"I'm not sure it was a coincidence that this happened just days after my voice went up on television. Fifteen seconds of me talking. More than enough to make a decent AI clone," he said.

“It sounded just like me,” Shooster said as he detailed how his father was ready to wire the money after hearing his son’s pleading voice for help. “But it wasn’t me,” Shooster clarified, calling the incident an AI scam.

What made the situation even more unnerving for Shooster was that he had previously warned his family about such scams.

“I've literally given presentations about this exact sort of scam, posted online about it, and I've talked to my family about it, but they still almost fell for it,” he said.

Shooster urged everyone to spread awareness about AI-driven scams and called for stronger regulations to protect against such fraud.

“That's how effective these scams are. Please spread the word to your friends and family,” he said, adding, "The world is going to be radically transformed by this technology and we need to act now to ensure that it makes the world better and not worse."

Shooster concluded his post by urging people to prepare for such incidents in the future. “Can you imagine your parents doubting whether they're actually talking to you when you really need help,” he said, as he suggested families use secret passphrases or other methods to verify their identities in case of emergencies.

Take a look at his post here:

The message of Jay Shooster’s post was clear: AI, while powerful, is proving to be a double-edged sword in the hands of scammers, and the public needs to stay vigilant.