A family in Washington state almost fell victim to a new artificial intelligence (AI) scam earlier this week. She received a call from someone she believed to be her 16-year-old daughter, while an alleged kidnapper demanded a $10,000 ransom.
Heidi and Robert, in Pierce County, Washington, initially thought no harm when they received a call from their daughter saying she was involved in a car accident outside a Malwart grocery store. When the daughter passed the phone on to a man whose parents initially thought was the other party involved in the accident, the conversation suddenly took an unexpected turn.
“He said, ‘I’m going to tell you now, I’m not a cop, I have your daughter, and if you ever want to see her safe again, do as I tell you,'” Heidi recalled. . “You don’t hang up. If you do, I will hurt your daughter,” the caller threatened, the woman told US television channel KIRO7.
Father about voice: ‘It was unmistakably her’
Her 16-year-old daughter’s voice begged for help on the phone as an alleged kidnapper demanded a $10,000 ransom, said Heidi and Robert, who asked the TV station to keep their last names secret to protect their identities. “It was unmistakably her,” says the father.
He and his wife Heidi immediately called the police. Thinking that his daughter would most likely be at the South Hill Walmart, Robert got into his car and sped—sometimes at high speed—to the grocery store to rescue his daughter. “What would you do if you heard your child begging for help? And then someone threatens to kidnap you?” he told KIRO7.
Meanwhile, mother Heidi keeps calling the scammer at home. “The original amount was $10,000,” she said. “I got in my car to go to the bank to withdraw money. I would have met him to pick up my daughter,” she said. But while on the phone, Heidi was able to reach her daughter via text message.
The daughter wrote back that she was at school and sent her a selfie, according to Heidi. “So I hung up.” By this time, husband Robert had already met with police officers outside the Walmart supermarket. When his wife called him and told him it was all a scam, he almost threw up in the mall parking lot, he told the TV station.
The police warn of new scams
The police are now warning of the new form of fraud. Voices would be simulated with the help of artificial intelligence. Questions, of which only the next of kin know the answers, can help, according to the municipality.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
