Indore School Teacher Duped Of Rs 1,00,000 Through AI Voice Scams, Here's What Happened

Madhya Pradesh has most probably registered the first case of an AI scam used by hackers. In a recent development, it has been revealed that the teacher from Madhya Pradesh has been duped of Rs 1,00,000, where the scammers used an AI voice to sound just like her cousin. They created an emergency-like situation on the phone with a tone that was more than familiar. Smita, the victim of the same, is a middle-aged schoolteacher, living in Indore, and she had talked to her cousin, who worked in the UP Police emergency dial service, most probably two years ago. The incident took place on January 6, 2025, while Smita was having dinner with her family. She received a call from an unknown number that was pretty identical to her cousin's contact number.

The caller claimed that he is Simta's cousin and a friend has suffered from a heart attack and it in urgent need of surgery at a private hospital in Indore. The scammer shared QR codes with Smita and asked her to transfer money. Trusting the processor, Smita shared Rs 97,500 in four transactions. Now, when she tried to call back after transferring the money, the number was blocked. And the next morning, when she enquired, her cousin denied calling her, following which she filed a complaint at the Lasudia police station.How a Bengaluru Techie Fell for an AI ‘Girlfriend’ on a Dating App; Loses Rs 1.5 Lakh in Deepfake Sextortion Rajesh Dandotiya, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, said, 'A teacher received a call from someone claiming to be her cousin. He sent QR codes and asked for immediate payment. There were three transactions of Rs 30,000 and one of Rs 7,500. When she called back, she was blocked. The voice was exactly like her cousin's. This strongly indicates the use of AI-based voice modulation technology.'There's no doubt that the Digital fraud cases, and the ones fueled by AI, are rising in numbers At this point in time, the best you can do is be a little mindful and if you get a call from an unknown number claiming to be your relative, friend, acquaintance, then directly call them and ask them if they same person is calling from the number or not.