Angie McCaw of Smiths Falls, Ont., is sharing her story after losing more than $12,000 in an AI-powered voice cloning scam that convinced her she was helping her brother.
McCaw said she received a phone call from someone who sounded exactly like her brother, Mike, claiming he had been in a car crash. The caller said he had a broken nose, was at fault for the collision and needed money for bail.
Believing her brother was in trouble, McCaw immediately tried to help.
“It sounded like my brother,” she said.
A second caller, claiming to be a lawyer, told her Mike would have to spend the night in jail unless bail was paid. McCaw withdrew $6,000 from her bank, and a courier came to her home to collect the cash.
Later, she received another call saying her brother was being sued and needed more money for legal fees. She withdrew an additional $6,250 from her line of credit and handed it over to the same courier.
After giving the scammers a total of $12,250, McCaw decided to call her brother directly. That was when she learned he had never been in an accident and knew nothing about the calls.
“He said, ‘Angie, I don’t have a lawyer. There was no car accident. You’ve been scammed,'” she recalled.
Cybersecurity experts say AI voice cloning is becoming an increasingly common tool for fraudsters. By using just a short recording of a person’s voice, criminals can create convincing audio that closely mimics family members or friends.
Experts advise people to be cautious of urgent requests for bail or legal fees, especially if callers insist on secrecy. They also recommend never handing cash to couriers, using a family code word to verify emergencies, and calling relatives directly using a trusted phone number before sending money.
McCaw said she wanted to speak publicly to help others avoid becoming victims.
She said her first feeling was relief that her brother was safe, followed by anger that she had been deceived.
