AI Voice Cloning Scams Hit Lawrence: What You Need to Know

AI is making phone scams terrifyingly sophisticated—and they’re happening right here in Lawrence.

Just last month, a woman called emergency dispatch saying a man had a gun to her mother’s head and was demanding money. The caller ID was from her mother’s phone, and she heard her mother’s voice in the background. She did the right thing and called police.

As officers arrived, they learned the woman’s brother received the same call, and the mother was not answering the phone.

Utilizing a shared location app, officers tracked the mother’s phone to her workplace. Just as they were preparing to surround the building, the location moved. The car was spotted on the road with a man and woman inside, leading to a high-risk (felony) vehicle stop.

High risk vehicle stops are inherently dangerous for everyone involved. This type of stop is used when law enforcement has a reason to believe the vehicle’s occupants are involved in a serious crime or are armed and dangerous. Once the car of interest stops, officers draw their weapons, and command the subjects to step from the vehicle, with visible hands, and walk toward them backwards, then handcuff the person to continue the investigation safely.

Thankfully, both occupants complied, and the woman was simply driving a man she knew to go pick up his car.

Unfortunately, many of these types of cases go unsolved because they originate from overseas, making them nearly impossible to trace. Awareness is your best defense. Keep these tips in mind to help you and your family stay safe and secure.

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How AI voice-cloning scams work:

• Voice cloning: Scammers search publicly accessible social media, website, or voicemail greetings for audio clips. The audio clip is fed into an AI tool that learns speech patterns, accent, and mannerisms to create a highly accurate voice clone.
• Impersonation: The scammer calls you (often using “spoofing” technology to make the caller ID appear legitimate), plays the cloned voice, and makes an emergency plea.
• Demands for money: The scammer demands an immediate payment via an untraceable method like a wire transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency.

Tips to Protect yourself from AI voice scams

1. Be skeptical of the voice
   • Unnatural speech patterns: An overly smooth, steady pace, strange rhythm, or a lack of natural breathing sounds.
   • Limited emotional depth: While the voice may sound distressed, the emotion can feel flat, hollow, or overly dramatic.
2. Verify the caller
   • Establish a code word: Establish a secret “safe word” or phrase with family members to use if someone calls in an emergency.
   • Hang up and call back: If you get a suspicious call, hang up immediately. Do not redial the number that called you. Instead, call your loved one back using their legitimate, trusted number.
   • Ask a personal question: Ask a question that only the real person would know, such as the name of a childhood pet or a shared inside joke.
3. What to do if you’ve been targeted
   • Do not send money: Never transfer money through wire transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrency based on an unsolicited phone call.
   • Call police: File a report with the Lawrence Kansas Police Department or the jurisdiction where it happened and with the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.