Scammers can now sound like your relatives and San Mateo police say don’t trust the voice alone
San Mateo, California – A familiar voice on the phone used to be reassuring. Now, San Mateo police are warning residents that even a voice that sounds exactly like a relative may no longer be enough to prove who is really calling.
The latest concern involves scammers using artificial intelligence to clone voices and create convincing emergency calls. A resident could hear what appears to be a child, parent, grandchild or another family member asking for money, even though the person on the other end of the line is actually a fraudster.
“Hey, it’s me. I’m in trouble and I need you to send me money. Right now.”
San Mateo police say calls built around that kind of urgent message are designed to trigger fear before the person receiving the call has time to check what is really happening. With AI-generated voices becoming increasingly convincing, simply recognizing the caller’s voice may not be enough.
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Police are urging residents not to immediately send money or follow instructions from an unexpected caller claiming there is an emergency. That includes demands to purchase thousands of dollars in gift cards or quickly transfer money because a family member supposedly needs help.
Instead, residents can hang up and independently contact the person who is supposedly in trouble. Police recommend using the phone number already saved in your contacts rather than calling a number provided during the suspicious conversation.
The same approach applies when someone claims to represent a company, government agency or another organization. Rather than relying on contact information supplied by the caller, residents can find and use a phone number they already know is legitimate to verify the situation.
That extra step has become more important as technology makes impersonation scams harder to recognize by sound alone. A caller may appear to sound like Mom, Dad, a grandchild or another familiar person, but police stress that a realistic voice does not necessarily mean the call is genuine.
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Residents who believe they may have fallen victim to this type of scam are encouraged to contact the San Mateo Police Department or their local law enforcement agency.
The warning ultimately comes down to slowing the situation down before money changes hands. Scammers may rely on panic and urgency, but residents still have a simple defense: verify the caller independently before acting.
As San Mateo police put it, residents should trust their instincts, confirm who is really calling and keep their money where it belongs, in their account.
