PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – A Hillsboro mother says her family lost more than $2,000 in a scam that she thinks used artificial intelligence.
“It was really scary, it was so real,” said victim Tina.
A mother, who chose to go only by Tina for safety reasons, said she was in shock after picking up a call from a scammer who said her daughter was in an accident.
“They said don’t call the police, she’s not hurt, don’t call the police, we can’t get the police involved,” said Tina.
Then the scammer eventually said her daughter was kidnapped and that she needed to pay up to get her back.
“‘You need to send $2,500 to this bank account right away,’ they said. She stumbled upon a drug deal, and it cost us some money, so we need to be compensated for what it cost us,” said Tina.
Tina said she found the call odd and suspected it was made using AI. So she decided to ask her daughter herself.
Her daughter was fine, and she thought her family dodged the scam. But then, around the same time, her husband received a similar call, but this time about another daughter being kidnapped, and he sent the money.
“Right now, with our current circumstances, $2,500 is like a million dollars to us,” said Tina. “$2,500 was huge, huge for us.”
The financial loss could take them months to recover, and she said it is all due to a scam that creates panic and forces you to make quick decisions.
“They prey on your emotions, and they use your loved one, whether it’s a granddaughter, grandson, or mom, or dad, that’s what they’re doing,” said Tina. “And then they were forceful.”
When dealing with scammers, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office suggests you should:
- Contact your child directly using their number.
- Call another family member who may know where they are.
- Ask specific questions that the scammer wouldn’t know the answer to.
- And never send money or gift cards based on a phone call.
- Report the incident to law enforcement.
“It’s just surreal right now. I’m just flabbergasted. I think we’re pretty smart people. I almost fell for it, and had they not started changing their story, I probably would’ve fallen for it,” said Tina.
Now, Tina said her family has learned a valuable lesson and hopes others don’t make the same mistake.
“It makes you think, it makes you really think about what you’re really putting out there,” said Tina.
More information about how to protect yourself from scams like this can be found here.
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