The Highline Public School District in Washington issued an alert to parents on September 25th according to Fox News that two area students were targeted. "The scammers played [AI-generated] audio recording of the family member, then demanded a ransom," the school district said. "The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has noted a nationwide increase in these scams, with a particular focus on families who speak a language other than English."
The school district warned, "The scammers typically use phone numbers from different area codes and try to keep victims on the phone, so they can't contact their loved ones or the authorities."
This method of fraud came to national attention in June 2023 with the Congressional testimony of Arizona mother Jennifer DeStafano who outlined how the bad actors attempted to ensnare her with a nightmare scenario of her daughter Briana being kidnapped, drugged, sexually abused, and abandoned in Mexico. The foul-mouthed assailant allegedly demanded a ransom of $1 million to return DeStanfano's daughter, who luckily was safely in her bed at home.
"I answered the phone ‘Hello.’ On the other end was our daughter Briana sobbing and crying saying, ‘Mom,’" the Scottsdale, AZ resident told Congress. "At first, I thought nothing of it. … I casually asked her what happened as I had her on speaker walking through the parking lot to meet her sister. Briana continued with, 'Mom, I messed up,' with more crying and sobbing."
The voice belonging to her "daughter," begging and pleading for her mother's help was AI-generated. "A threatening and vulgar man took over the call. ‘Listen here, I have your daughter, you tell anyone, you call the cops, I am going to pump her stomach so full of drugs, I am going to have my way with her, drop her in [M]exico and you’ll never see her again!’ all the while Briana was in the background desperately pleading, ‘Mom, help me!’" DeStefano wrote.
DeStefano had the aid of other mothers nearby who were able to contact authorities and her husband at home who verified that Briana was safe, but often this isn't the case, and DeStefano, understandably rattled found it hard to accept her daughter was safe."How could she be safe with her father and yet be in the possession of kidnappers? It was not making any sense. I had to speak to Brie," DeStefano continued. "I could not believe she was safe until I heard her voice say she was. I asked her over and over again if it was really her, if she was really safe, again, is this really Brie? Are you sure you are really safe?! My mind was whirling. I do not remember how many times I needed reassurance, but when I finally took hold of the fact she was safe, I was furious."
This form of scamming is becoming more prevalent with criminal operations farming voice samples from online-video posted to social media as well as telemarketing scams. Beenu Arora, CEO and chair of Cyble, a cybersecurity company told Fox, "The longer you speak, the more data they're collecting."
Highline Public Schools offered some advice in these situations:
"If you receive a call, stay calm and think critically. Here are steps to take:
- Request to Speak to the Alleged Victim: Ask the caller to let you speak directly with your loved one.
- Use a Family Safe Word: Establish a safe word with your family that only you know, making it harder for scammers to succeed.
- Ask Personal Questions: Request the caller to answer questions only the supposed victim would know.
- Try Other Communication Methods: Use different ways to reach out to the alleged victim to confirm their safety.
- Report to Authorities: Inform law enforcement about the incident immediately.
- Do Not Pay the Ransom: Do not pay the ransom, whether it be through gift cards, cash or wire transfer. "
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