Houston families are getting hit with a terrifying new kind of scam: phone calls that sound exactly like a loved one begging for help, followed by a demand for cash. The FBI is warning residents about a surge in AI-powered voice-cloning schemes that mimic family members and push victims to pay up fast.
Scammers can now build a disturbingly realistic fake voice from just a few seconds of audio scraped from social media or voicemail, according to local station KPRC Click2Houston. One Houston-area victim, Deborah Del Mastro, told the station a caller claimed to have kidnapped her daughter and then put what sounded like her daughter on the line. Panicked, Del Mastro wired $5,000 before realizing it was a scam. The money was never recovered, per KPRC Click2Houston.
The local spike is part of a national problem. In its 2025 Internet Crime Report, the FBI logged 22,364 complaints tied to AI and adjusted losses of about $893.3 million. AI-driven tricks cropped up across multiple fraud types, raising the risk for both families and businesses, according to the FBI.
In interviews published by ABC's "Good Morning America," Del Mastro and cybersecurity experts described how little raw material the scammers need. "What they can do with just a few seconds of your voice [is] they can clone it," one expert told the show, stressing that public social media posts and old voicemail clips are easy pickings for criminals, per ABC News. Similar incidents have surfaced around the country, including a Las Vegas mother who says an AI clone of her daughter's voice helped scammers squeeze thousands of dollars out of her in a cartel-style shakedown, according to a Vegas mom cartel-shakedown account.
How the scam works
Investigators say criminals typically reach out by phone, text, or messaging apps, then roll out edited audio or photos as so-called proof of life to convince relatives that someone is being held. A federal cyber advisory explains that these images and clips are often doctored or set to disappear and that scammers push victims to pay through fast, hard-to-trace channels like wires or digital transfers, according to a cyber alert from the FBI.
What to watch for and what to do
Authorities say to watch for red flags such as odd pauses or strange pitch changes in what is supposed to be a familiar voice, intense pressure not to verify the story, and demands for payment via wire transfer, Venmo, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. The safest move is to hang up and independently contact the family member using a number you already know before sending any money. Officials also urge victims to save screenshots, caller IDs, and audio recordings for investigators. Those warning signs and risky payment methods are laid out in reporting from KPRC Click2Houston.
If you are targeted, law enforcement recommends hanging up, calling the person directly on a trusted number, and filing a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3 as well as with local police. Consumer advocates suggest setting up a private family code word and rehearsing how you will verify emergencies so you can quickly tell a real crisis from an AI-fueled scam. Guidance on using code words and family plans has been detailed by AARP.
