A woman from Hillsborough County fell victim to an elaborate scam that reportedly tricked her using an AI clone of her daughter’s voice.
According to a report by WFLA, Sharon Brightwell claims she received a phone call from a number that looked like her daughter’s on July 9. When Brightwell answered, she heard a young woman crying on the other end. She reportedly claimed that she was in a car crash.
Sharon reportedly told the outlet, “There is nobody that could convince me that it wasn’t her. I know my daughter’s cry. Convinced she was talking to her weeping daughter, she believed the caller when they said they hit a pregnant woman while texting behind the wheel and police had detained her.
The woman on the phone handed the call over to a man, who claimed to be her attorney. He allegedly asked for $15,000 in cash and gave specific instructions, such as not informing the bank about what the money was for. At the time, Sharon went along with it as the man said it could otherwise affect her daughter’s credit.
She did what she was asked, placed the money in a box, and watched a driver come to collect it.
The AI Scammers Called Again To Demand More Money
Per WFLA, the scammers called again, masquerading as Sharon’s daughter. This time, they claimed the pregnant woman’s baby had died in the crash. Sharon reportedly explained that the caller said the family were “Christian people” and would not sue as long as she paid a further $30,000.
The outlet explains that Sharon’s grandson got involved. He called her with her daughter on the line, proving that she was dealing with a scammer. “When I heard her voice, I broke down. She was fine. She was still at work,” she reportedly exclaimed.
The Brightwell family is convinced that the scammers used AI to scrape the daughter’s social media accounts and create a replica of her voice.
The daughter has set up a GoFundMe to recoup the lost $15,000. She explained that a police investigation was underway, but the scammers had used Uber couriers to pick up the money. The drivers had no idea what they were collecting, and there is no chance of recouping the cash.
The fundraiser post concludes with a stark warning. “Anyone’s voice can be cloned. And these people knew details such as the fact that I had 2 kids, even that we are people of faith. They knew.”