'Tis The Season For Scammers: AI Voices Increasingly Used To Victimize Long Islanders

Police have issued a warning regarding an innovative approach scammers are using to target New York residents this holiday season.

On November 16, in a issued warning, Suffolk County Police on Long Island highlighted the rising trend of scammers employing AI-generated fake voices to deceive victims and extract money from them.

To execute the "spoofing" scam, perpetrators utilize AI tools to replicate the voices of individuals active on social media. They subsequently make calls to their relatives, posing as the cloned voice to deceive them.

In a recent case emphasized by the police, an 85-year-old Hauppauge man received a call from an individual posing as his granddaughter.

Leveraging AI spoofing to mimic the girl's voice, the scammers successfully persuaded the man to hand over $19,000 in cash under the pretext of "bail money."

Another instance involved a 70-year-old Smithtown woman who fell victim to a scam, losing nearly $200,000 to an individual falsely claiming to be an Amazon representative, according to the police.

The woman was informed that her bank account had been "compromised" and was instructed to surrender her cash to "keep it safe."

Both incidents are currently under investigation by the police.

A spokesperson for the department stated, "Criminals are continually seeking new opportunities to exploit individuals for financial gain, and the holidays, being a time when people are often preoccupied, create an environment where individuals could easily fall victim to a scam."

Detectives from the department's Financial Crime Unit are currently providing complimentary scam prevention presentations to community groups and senior centers.

Police strongly advised people to exercise heightened caution if anyone claims:

Exercise caution if someone claims to be part of a familiar and legitimate organization, presents a problem or prize, asserts a family member is in distress or incarcerated, demands immediate action or threatens your safety, or insists on payment in a specific form such as cash or Venmo, police warned.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone emphasized the importance of residents being vigilant against those seeking to exploit generosity during the holiday season.

He urged the public to educate themselves and stay aware of prevalent operations, ensuring protection against scammers.

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