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They thought loved ones were calling for help. It was an AI scam.

Scammers are using artificial intelligence to sound more like family members in distress. People are falling for it and losing thousands of dollars.

By
March 5, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EST
A person on the phone with a tear on their cheek.
(Illustration by Elena Lacey/The Washington Post)
8 min

The man calling Ruth Card sounded just like her grandson Brandon. So when he said he was in jail, with no wallet or cellphone, and needed cash for bail, Card scrambled to do whatever she could to help.

“It was definitely this feeling of … fear,” she said. “That we’ve got to help him right now.”