Mom says she heard her daughter's voice on the phone, panicked, and sent all the money in her bank account. It was an AI scam.

We all know AI can simulate someone's likeness and their voice. Usually it's someone famous, but scammers are going through Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok and looking for the everyday person so they get money. 

A mom, Deborah Del Mastro, testified before a Senate Committee about a call she got. This is a call any of us could get.  Here is part of her testimony:

I answered and said hello, and a male voice said, hello, who is this? And I said, Who is this? And he said, someone you need to talk to. I have your daughter. Does your daughter is your daughter prone to panic attacks? I could hear commotion in the background. He put on. Her voice- now I know her voice and she was saying, I'm so sorry, so I'm so sorry, Mom. I'm so scared. I'm so sorry, and crying, sobbing. It was her voice. It was absolutely her voice.. This man was barking orders to me about having to have the money right away, or the boss will do something with her. 

The scammer got Deborah for all the money in her bank account. We can't stop all the scammers from using the voices of your family members to make it sound real-- but we can give you a solution. 

Talk to your family about this and come up with a code word or a question only you and your family know the answer to.

For example: What does Uncle Mike tell everyone on their birthday? 

The obvious answer is happy birthday, right? But you and your family know Uncle Mike always says, "At least you're not pushing up daisies".

Find a code word or a code question so you can know if you're talking to the real person.Another solution: text them or call them from another phone to verify they're safe.