Bay Area mom out thousands after scammers use AI to mimic daughter's voice in fake kidnapping

MARTINEZ, Calif. (KGO) -- Thousands of dollars were stolen from a Bay Area woman after scammers used artificial intelligence to mimic her daughter's voice in what authorities describe as a growing type of fraud.

Deborah Del Mastro said the incident began with a phone call from an unknown number one morning in May.

"This male voice said, 'Who is this?' and I said, 'Well, who is this?' And he said 'someone you need to talk to'," Del Mastro said.

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The caller then claimed her 37-year-old daughter, Sarah, had been kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel after seeing something she wasn't supposed to.

He played what Del Mastro believed was proof.

"It was my daughter's voice having an absolute panic attack, scared, telling me 'I love you, mom, I'm so sorry, I'm so scared' and then they just cut it off," she said.

Fearing for her daughter's life, Del Mastro followed the caller's instructions for five hours, as the caller issued a series of urgent commands.

"The guy is barking orders, 'don't speak,' 'is there someone there with you?' 'Don't speak,' 'go and get dressed and get out' 'do this now, it has to happen now'," she said.

After wiring $5,400 to Mexico from multiple locations, Del Mastro said she was told her daughter would be released at a grocery store.

When she arrived and could not find her, she called her daughter directly, who picked up and said she was at work. Del Mastro soon realized the ordeal had been a scam.

"God, I couldn't believe it. I mean, I couldn't believe it. And then I did believe it," Del Mastro said.

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Erin West with Operation Shamrock said scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to clone voices, often by pulling audio from social media or phone calls.

"What they can do with just a few seconds of your voice, they can clone it. And they can essentially produce sound that sounds exactly like you," West said.

West described the trend as a "scamdemic." "It's only getting worse, and it will only continue to get worse with the use of AI and deepfake technology," she said. She urged the public to remain cautious, especially when faced with urgent requests involving money.

"When we get something that raises our anxiety and requires immediate action, and that immediate action requires the movement of money, we need to know, red flag, this is a scam," West said.

West suggested using a code word that only your family knows to be able to tell if it's actually them.

Del Mastro recommends not answering random numbers and told us that her family now shares locations through their phones.

"Let our horrible experience be a warning to all of you, you know, so that you will question this because I didn't question it at all," she said.

Martinez police said they are investigating the case, but Del Mastro said she does not expect to recover the money.