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high alert · August 26, 2026
AI Voice Cloning in "Grandparent" Calls
Callers are using short clips of a real voice to imitate a grandchild in trouble and demand money right away.
Scammers can now copy a voice from a few seconds of audio taken from social media or a voicemail greeting. The call sounds like your grandchild, and the story is always urgent: an accident, an arrest, a hospital, a lawyer who needs money now.
What to do:
1. Pause. Urgency is the tell. 2. Hang up and call your family member back on the number you already have saved. 3. Agree on a family code word today, so you can ask for it later. 4. Never send cash, gift cards, or a wire transfer based on a phone call alone.