Wichita mother nearly defrauded of $25,000 by AI voice cloning scam over phone call

Summary

A Wichita mother, Florence Wheeler, nearly fell victim to an AI voice cloning scam in 2025. Scammers used AI to mimic her son’s voice, claiming he had been in an accident and needed $25,000 for bail. Wheeler was convinced by the realistic-sounding call and considered withdrawing money before being contacted by her daughter-in-law, who confirmed it was a scam. Journalism professor Al Tompkins noted that AI voice cloning has become increasingly sophisticated, requiring only 10–15 seconds of audio to create a convincing replica. Scammers are using social media to access personal information and exploit this technology. Wheeler avoided financial loss but now avoids answering phone calls due to fear of similar scams.