Based on a presentation by Lisa Carroll, CFE, CB, Certified Fraud Examiner
For years, families have been warned about the “Grandma, I’m in jail” scam: a frightened caller claims to be a grandchild or other loved one who has been arrested, injured, stranded or otherwise needs money immediately. The advice used to be fairly simple — listen carefully, ask questions, and recognize that the voice may not sound quite right.
Artificial intelligence has changed that.
Today, scammers can use voice-cloning technology to create audio that sounds remarkably like someone we know. During a recent presentation at Silverado Encinitas, Certified Fraud Examiner Lisa Carroll demonstrated just how convincing these tools have become. She played three voice samples for the audience — two generated by AI and one actually hers — and asked listeners to identify the real one. The differences were subtle enough to make the exercise genuinely unsettling.
Carroll then demonstrated an AI-generated video created from a still photograph and a short recording of her own voice. She explained that the result took her less than 15 minutes to produce using publicly available software. The technology could alter her appearance, create a realistic digital avatar and even make her appear to speak in a language she does not speak.
For legitimate users, that technology can be entertaining and useful. For criminals, it creates a powerful new tool.
Imagine receiving a call that begins:
“Grandma, I’ve been in an accident.”
Or:
“Dad, I’ve been arrested.”
Or the even more terrifying:
“They kidnapped me. Please do what they say.”
The caller sounds like your child or grandchild. There may be crying, panic, background noise and another person who suddenly takes over the telephone. That second voice may claim to be a police officer, attorney, bail bondsman or kidnapper.
The emotional reaction is immediate — which is exactly what the scammer wants.
The Pattern Matters More Than the Story
One of Carroll’s most useful lessons was that we do not need to memorize every new scam. The story changes constantly, but the psychological tools are remarkably consistent. Most scams contain several of the same ingredients: fear, urgency, secrecy and, eventually, a demand for money or access.
- Fear: Something terrible has happened — or is about to happen.
- Urgency: You must act right now.
- Secrecy: Do not tell your spouse, children, bank, attorney or police.
- Payment or access: Send money, buy gift cards, wire funds, provide a password or disclose a security code.
Voice cloning makes the first step — fear — dramatically more effective because the victim may believe they are actually hearing someone they love. In that moment, few people stop to analyze cadence, vocabulary or whether the story makes sense.
THREE WORDS TO REMEMBER:
STOP. HANG UP. TELL SOMEBODY.
Carroll shared this simple warning as the most important response when something feels wrong. It is effective precisely because it interrupts the scammer’s control of the conversation.
STOP
Do not send money, provide information or follow instructions while someone is creating a crisis around you. A legitimate police officer, bank employee, attorney or family member will still be there after you take a few minutes to verify what is happening.
HANG UP
Do not use the telephone number the caller gives you. Call the supposedly endangered family member yourself using a number you already know. If that person does not answer, call a parent, spouse, sibling, employer or someone physically near them. If the caller claims to represent a bank or government agency, independently locate that organization’s legitimate number and call it yourself.
TELL SOMEBODY
Scammers frequently insist that the situation must remain secret. That is not incidental — isolation is one of their strongest weapons. Saying the story out loud to another person can immediately expose things that were difficult to recognize while frightened and under pressure.
Carroll noted that when people repeat the scammer’s claims aloud, they often begin to hear how implausible the story sounds. A second person also brings something the scammer desperately wants to prevent: perspective.
Create a Family Passphrase
Families can add another layer of protection by choosing a private word or phrase known only to close family members. It does not need to be complicated — it simply needs to be something a stranger would not know or find on social media.
If a frightened “grandchild” calls asking for emergency money, ask for the family passphrase.
Interestingly, Carroll suggested asking the question even if your family has not yet established one. “What’s our passphrase?” can disrupt the scammer’s script. A legitimate family member can say, “We don’t have one.” A criminal may simply hang up.
Where Could a Scammer Get a Voice?
Our voices are more available than most of us realize. Social-media videos, outgoing voicemail greetings, online presentations, recorded customer-service calls, and other audio can all create a sample. Carroll’s demonstration required only a very short clip of her voice to produce convincing synthetic speech.
That does not mean we should stop using technology or become suspicious of every telephone call. It means that a familiar voice can no longer be treated as proof of identity.
Remove the Shame
Perhaps the most important message from Carroll’s presentation was that successful scams are not evidence that someone is foolish. These crimes are engineered to exploit ordinary human reactions: love, fear, trust, loyalty and the instinct to help someone we care about.
That is why families should talk about scams before they happen. Agree that nobody will ever be embarrassed for stopping a transaction or checking with another person. Practice the response. Establish a passphrase. Make verification normal.
And remember the three words:
STOP. HANG UP. TELL SOMEBODY.
Those few seconds of interruption may be all it takes to turn a very convincing emergency back into what it really is — a scam.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in San Diego, CA, please contact the caring staff at A Passion for Care today. Call (858) 798-5005
A Passion for Care is a Trusted Home Care Agency serving San Diego, La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Bernardo, Encinitas, Oceanside, Rancho Santa Fe, Point Loma, and surrounding areas.
Source note:
- Article adapted from notes taken during Lisa Carroll’s August 26, 2026 presentation, “Smart People…Skilled Criminals: How Fraud Finds Seniors—and What We Can Do About It,” at Silverado Encinitas.
Making the transition to a completely new industry brought the opportunity to learn and grow, which continues still today. Pat studied Gerontology in San Diego State University’s certificate program and became licensed as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), a Home Health Aide (HHA), and completed the California Certification Program for Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCCFE) as a Certified Administrator. She presented workshops at Aging in America Conference four years in a row and served as Chair of the San Diego Regional Home Care Council 2019-2020 and was the education board member for several years. More recently, Pat became a Certified Senior Advisor and was a San Diego Business Journal “50 over 50 2022 Women of Influence Honoree”.
Pat and her husband Roland have lived outside San Diego in the San Pasqual Valley for over three decades. She has two children who are grown professionals and three grandchildren. Pat enjoys traveling to, and visits from, family and friends throughout the year. While at home in San Pasqual Valley, she and Roland enjoy peaceful views and exploring the surrounding valleys.
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