Prayer and Recovery Help for John and Sharon- AI Scammed.

Dear friends, family and anyone who comes across this,

I'm sure many of you have heard about the scam where AI is used to replicate a voice and then call family members to make them believe this person is in some kind of trouble. If you haven't, you are hearing about it now.

This week my mother was called by "me". I was sobbing on the phone, explaining I had just been in an accident and hit a woman who was 7 months pregnant. It had been determined that I had been texting and driving and this was the cause of the wreck, therefor I had been taken to an infirmary where I was being treated for injuries and also "detained". I was crying and scared and then handed the phone off to an unknown "bail bondsman" who explained that in order to bail me out, my mother would need to bring (a large sum of money). She was given explicit instructions on how to do this.

Again, my voice was AI cloned and sounded exactly like me. After you hear your child in distress, all logic is out the window. Nothing would have convinced her that wasn't me. Except for the fact that I was at my clinical site in Carrollwood while all this was going down.

Luckily my son was with her, although in just as much panic and worry. Neither of them know how bail works, or how that would be paid. But it is definitely not like this. A man in a black Chevy Tahoe showed up and parked on the side of the road at their home and my mom walked cash out to him. He appeared nervous according to what she remembered. He was nicely dressed, bald with a short beard. The tag was tinted out.

They then called her again to inform her that the baby had died. And that they would need more money. They called a close family friend to ask for help and she quickly shouted "NO NO this is a scam". Unfortunately it was too late for the first chunk of money already given to these poor excuses for human beings.

During this whole exchange, the kids get a text from the real me while I was on my lunch break. Just as I do every day to check on them. Then it all came together. My mom and son were in absolute shock. Our friend then added me to a 3-way call so that my mom could hear my voice. I have never heard the sounds she made when she heard that I was fine, no babies had died in an accident that I caused, and I was not going to jail (not today anyway). I will never forget how she cried that day.

I left immediately to go be with them. My son was waiting in the driveway on the tailgate of his truck. When I drove up and he saw that my car was not wrecked, and I was completely fine, he hunched over to throw up. Then came and hugged me almost hyperventilating. This was more than cruel to do to a family. We have experienced loss. We know how this feels and its not anything anyone who has experienced it ever wants to feel again.

For those close to the family, you know in the last several months, my grandfather passed, leaving my mom to care for my nanny. My dad has been dealing with the results of a botched surgery, his body malfunctioning system by system. Now facing the beginnings of dementia. Things my dad has always taken care of, my mom now has to figure how to do. Bills, house repairs, yard work, the list goes on. Add doctor appointments for both he and nanny to that list. I only share this part to explain why a tragic call from your child added to this could easily send you over the edge and cause you to make choices you normally would not.

To tell you the trauma that my mom and son went through that day makes me nauseous and has made me lose more faith in humanity. Evil is too nice a word for the kind of people that can do this. My mother was sobbing on the phone with them, thinking I had been not only in a horrific wreck, but that a baby's life had been taken. The scammers continued without hesitation or remorse.

This story needs to be shared over and over because AI is only getting smarter. Please share with your family. Anyones voice can be cloned. And these people knew details such as the fact that I had 2 kids, even that we are people of faith. They knew.

UPDATE: A police report has been filed and an investigation is underway. We were informed that Uber package couriers (who are likely innocent pieces of the puzzle) are being used to pick up packages. They likely have no idea whats in the packages. So the police said that Uber will be subpoenaed first. The likelihood of recovering cash is zero.

I am here to attempt to help my parents recover money they have worked so hard to save and would otherwise be using to help my mom care for my dad who may soon need an extra form of care.

Any help you can offer, no matter how little or big is so appreciated. If you are unable to help financially, I would only ask for prayer for my family. We know God has a plan and that just because we have faith doesn't exclude any of us from bad things. My parents have been and still are being tested deeply, and still they are faithful.

Thank you for reading and for sharing the story. We only hope it will prevent this from continuing to victimize vulnerable people.

Love,

April