A Florida woman fell victim to a scam that involved using artificial intelligence to mimic her daughter’s voice, resulting in the loss of thousands of dollars in retirement funds.
Sharon Brightwell recounted that last Wednesday, she received a call where her adult daughter, April Monroe, seemed to be in distress, crying and panicking on the line. This overwhelming emotion made Brightwell act hastily, hampered by the distraction of driving while texting.
Interestingly, the number calling Brightwell wasn’t associated with her daughter. The police later confirmed that they had taken Monroe’s phone following an accident. Despite this, the AI-generated voice sounded just like Monroe—even replicating her sobs—leading Brightwell to believe the plea for help was genuine.
“Nobody can make me think that’s not her. I recognize my daughter’s cry. Even though she’s grown, I know her cry,” Brightwell said while reflecting on the event.
Afterward, a man claiming to be Monroe’s lawyer took over the phone call. He demanded $15,000 to secure her bail.
This impersonator, as skilled as any true con artist, provided Brightwell with dubious instructions, advising her not to disclose the purpose of the funds to the bank, suggesting it could harm Monroe’s credit score.
Brightwell complied, withdrawing the cash and placing it in a box for the supposed lawyer. A driver arrived at her house, picked up the package, and left.
Not long after, Brightwell received another call threatening a lawsuit if Monroe didn’t pay an additional $30,000 related to the victim of a pregnant woman involved in the accident.
Eventually, Brightwell came to realize that her daughter was safe after receiving a call from her grandchild. “I was overwhelmed with relief when I learned she was fine,” she shared.
“After hearing the child in distress, logic just flew out the window,” Monroe commented, adding a link to a crowdfunding page set up to help cover the lost money.
“The trauma my mother and I went through that day left me feeling sick and has eroded my faith in humanity,” she expressed, voicing strong feelings towards those who commit such acts.
The family was astonished at how swiftly the con unfolded, theorizing that the scammer possibly used videos of Monroe from social media to create the convincing voice imitation.
From now on, they have decided to establish code words for confirming identities over the phone.
“I truly hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else. My husband and I are newly retired, and that money was meant to secure our future,” Brightwell lamented.
The family has reported the incident to the Hillsboro County Sheriff’s Office.
