Florida Woman Loses $15K in AI Voice Scam: ‘I Thought It Was Her’

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AI-powered scams are becoming alarmingly real, and one Florida mother learned that the hard way.

According to People, earlier this month Sharon Brightwell received a frantic call from what appeared to be her daughter’s number. On the other end, she heard her daughter sobbing, claiming she had been in a car crash and was being detained. A man posing as an attorney demanded $15,000 for bail.

“There is nobody that could convince me that it wasn’t her,” Brightwell said. “I know my daughter’s cry.”

Desperate to help, she withdrew the cash and followed the scammers’ instructions. It was not until a second call demanding $30,000 and the intervention of her grandson and a family friend that Brightwell learned the truth. Her daughter was safe and still at work.

How It Happened
The scammers used AI voice cloning to replicate her daughter’s speech and emotional tone, making the deception almost impossible to detect in the heat of the moment. This technique, once the stuff of science fiction, is now part of a growing wave of AI-assisted fraud.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident, while Brightwell’s family warns others to be cautious of emotional phone scams.

Protect Yourself

• Be skeptical of urgent calls demanding money, even if the voice sounds familiar.

• Hang up and call the loved one back using a known number.

• Set up family “safe words” to verify emergencies.

• Report suspected scams to law enforcement immediately.

Brightwell’s daughter shared their story in hopes of preventing similar tragedies. “We only hope it will prevent this from continuing to victimize vulnerable people.”

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