{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-11-07T02:53:29.702Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"voice-cloning","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"2025","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":6,"coverage":{"cases":6,"countries":4,"languages":3,"unknownLocation":2,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":1,"regulatory":2,"minors":0,"coreRelations":6,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2025-rome-carabinieri-say-fraud-suspects-used-ai-to-clone-relatives-voices-in-calls-to-mostly-older-victims","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"44 persone, presunte responsabili di 39 episodi di truffe riuscite o tentate tra il novembre 2025 e maggio 2026.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"I Carabinieri della compagnia di Roma centro hanno individuato i presunti responsabili di ben 39 episodi di questo tipo, denunciando 44 persone.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The Carabinieri of the Compagnia Roma Centro reported 44 people to the judicial authorities as the presumed perpetrators of 39 completed or attempted frauds committed between November 2025 and May 2026.","causal_attribution":"Several outlets relaying one Carabinieri statement; one origin, so reported."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"L’attività investigativa dei Carabinieri della Compagnia Roma Centro ha permesso inoltre di ricostruire il modus operandi degli indagati: dal falso contatto, con i truffatori che inviavano sms o telefonavano alle vittime spacciandosi per operatori bancari o appartenenti alle forze dell’ordine, all’uso della tecnologia, con l’utilizzo per l’appunto dello “spoofing” telefonico per camuffare il numero del chiamante e di software di intelligenza artificiale per clonare la voce di parenti","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"oppure utilizzavano software di intelligenza artificiale non solo per camuffare il numero del chiamante ma anche per clonare la voce di parenti.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"Oppure camuffavano il numero di chi chiamava o veniva utilizzato il software di intelligenza artificiale per clonare la voce di parenti.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the modus operandi reconstructed by the Carabinieri, the fraudsters used artificial-intelligence software to clone the voices of the victims' relatives, alongside spoofed caller numbers and calls posing as bank staff or police.","causal_attribution":"The investigating Carabinieri's attribution, relayed by four outlets from one statement; no tool, recording or technical basis is disclosed."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Costante il ricorso alla pressione psicologica, alimentando inesistenti pericoli per i risparmi o fingendo incidenti stradali occorsi a figli o nipoti. L'obiettivo era sempre lo stesso: indurre le vittime a eseguire bonifici urgenti o ricariche su carte di pagamento intestate ai complici.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"I malcapitati, così, venivano indotti a eseguire bonifici urgenti o ricariche su carte di pagamento intestate ai complici.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The fraudsters invented dangers to the victims' savings or road accidents involving children or grandchildren and induced victims to make urgent bank transfers or top up payment cards held by accomplices.","causal_attribution":"The Carabinieri's description of the scheme as relayed; no individual victim's account is reported."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"quasi tutte romane, in prevalenza anziani","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Le vittime, non solo anziani, ingannate con la tecnica delle finte telefonate e degli sms","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"RomaToday describes the victims as almost all Roman residents, mostly older people; Il Messaggero writes that the victims were not only older people.","causal_attribution":"Two outlets' characterisations of the same victim group; they differ in emphasis."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Oltre ai denunciati, i carabinieri sono riusciti a recuperare parte della refurtiva sottratta, composta da denaro in contanti, oro e gioielli per un valore che si stima superiore a 900 mila euro. Il totale del bottino messo insieme dal gruppo nel corso dei messi sarebbe più alto, contando anche i bonifici eseguiti dalle povere vittime, convinte di aiutare una persona cara.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"I Carabinieri hanno recuperato parte della refurtiva: oro, gioielli e contanti, per un valore stimato di oltre 900 mila euro.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The Carabinieri recovered cash, gold and jewellery estimated at over 900,000 euros; Fanpage writes that the total taken was higher once victims' bank transfers are counted.","causal_attribution":"Carabinieri figure as relayed; an estimate of recovered property, not a count of losses."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Le indagini dei carabinieri sono scaturite dalle denunce delle vittime, che hanno di fatto consentito di incrociare accertamenti bancari su carte e conti correnti e di eseguire una serie di analisi di tabulati telefonici, di immagini delle telecamere di videosorveglianza, di banche dati e profili social media.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The investigation began from victims' complaints and used bank checks, phone records, video-surveillance images, databases and social media profiles.","causal_attribution":"Carabinieri account as relayed; it does not say which of these checks established the AI voice cloning."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Casi diversi e diverse le bande ma tutte accomunate dalla provenienza geografia poiché i 44 indagati sono tutti originari della Campania","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Il Messaggero reports that the cases involved different groups and that all 44 suspects come from Campania.","causal_attribution":"One outlet's report; Fanpage describes a single network, so the structure of the groups is unresolved."}],"effects":[{"label":"money transferred or handed over after calls using spoofed numbers and, the investigators say, AI-cloned voices of relatives","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.romatoday.it/cronaca/truffa-online-roma-spoofing-intelligenza-artificiale.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read in Italian on 2026-11-02; translated by the research agent (an AI). RomaToday, 3 June 2026, relaying the Carabinieri account ('Secondo quanto riferito dai militari'); HTTP 200.","independence_group":"carabinieri-roma-centro-statement-jun-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.fanpage.it/roma/clonavano-le-voci-dei-parenti-con-lia-per-estorcere-denaro-scoperta-truffa-da-un-milione-di-euro/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read in Italian on 2026-11-02 through a Wayback Machine capture (the live page returned HTTP 403); translated by the research agent (an AI). Fanpage, 3 June 2026; same Carabinieri origin as s1.","independence_group":"carabinieri-roma-centro-statement-jun-2026"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.rainews.it/tgr/lazio/articoli/2026/06/truffe-digitali-44-denunce-e-900-mila-euro-recuperati-6cb0e87f-493c-43d0-a048-b0994c073b46.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read in Italian on 2026-11-02; translated by the research agent (an AI). RaiNews TGR Lazio, 4 June 2026; same Carabinieri origin as s1; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"carabinieri-roma-centro-statement-jun-2026"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.ilmessaggero.it/roma/metropoli/roma_truffe_digitali_carabinieri_recuperano_un_milione-9571542.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read in Italian on 2026-11-02; translated by the research agent (an AI). Il Messaggero, 4 June 2026; same Carabinieri origin as s1; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"carabinieri-roma-centro-statement-jun-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["How many of the 39 completed or attempted frauds used a cloned voice, and how many people lost money","How the investigators established that the voices were AI-generated, and which software was used","Whether prosecutors brought charges and whether any case has reached court","Whether the 44 suspects formed one network or several groups (Fanpage and Il Messaggero differ)"],"geography":{"basis":"Event and affected people: the Carabinieri of the Compagnia Roma Centro investigated frauds against victims who were almost all Roman residents (s1, s4). No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IT"],"affected_person_countries":["IT"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a reported police operation: the Rome Carabinieri, who investigated victims' complaints, say fraudsters used AI software to clone relatives' voices in calls that induced mostly older victims to transfer money, in 39 completed or attempted frauds between November 2025 and May 2026; the technical basis is undisclosed and no individual victim is described.","reviewed_on":"2026-11-02"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Carabinieri of the Compagnia Roma Centro, who investigated the 39 frauds using victims' complaints, bank checks and phone records, reconstructed a modus operandi in which the fraudsters used artificial-intelligence software to clone the voices of the victims' relatives (s1, s3, s4; Fanpage s2 adds that the programs let the suspects disguise their own voices as those relatives). The cloned voices impersonated relatives toward the people called and were part of what induced them to make urgent transfers or top up payment cards (s1, s3). This is an attribution by the investigating Carabinieri, relayed by four outlets from one statement; no tool, recording or forensic analysis is disclosed, and the number of cases in which a cloned voice was used is not stated.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Rome Carabinieri say phone fraud suspects used AI software to clone relatives' voices in calls that took money from mostly older residents","summary":"The Carabinieri of the Compagnia Roma Centro announced on 3 June 2026 that they had reported 44 people to the judicial authorities as the alleged perpetrators of 39 completed or attempted phone frauds committed between November 2025 and May 2026. According to the Carabinieri account relayed by RomaToday, Fanpage, RaiNews and Il Messaggero, the fraudsters posed as bank staff or police, faked the caller number shown on the victim's phone (spoofing) and used artificial-intelligence software to clone the voices of the victims' relatives, then invented threats to savings or road accidents involving children or grandchildren so that victims made urgent bank transfers or topped up payment cards held by accomplices. The victims were mostly older residents of Rome. The Carabinieri recovered money, gold and jewellery estimated at over 900,000 euros. The outlets do not describe an individual victim, do not say how many of the 39 cases involved a cloned voice, and do not say how the investigators established that the voices were AI-generated.","incidentDate":"2025-11-01","incidentEndDate":"2026-05-31","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-06-03","aiSystem":"Artificial-intelligence software that the Carabinieri say the fraudsters used to clone the voices of victims' relatives in phone calls; no tool is named","aiProduct":"Unidentified voice-cloning tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the Carabinieri, victims, mostly older Rome residents, were induced to make urgent transfers or top up payment cards in 39 completed or attempted frauds that used spoofed numbers and, the investigators say, AI-cloned voices of relatives; property worth over 900,000 euros was recovered.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The Carabinieri count 39 frauds, completed or attempted ('39 episodi di truffe riuscite o tentate', Fanpage); attempted frauds need not have harmed anyone, victims are not counted individually and the share of cases in which a cloned voice was used is not stated, so the people harmed are unquantified (numeric zero placeholders). The 44 reported suspects and the value recovered are not counts of harmed people.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"IT","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.romatoday.it/cronaca/truffa-online-roma-spoofing-intelligenza-artificiale.html","primarySourceLabel":"RomaToday, 3 June 2026: Rome, voices cloned with artificial intelligence; 900,000-euro fraud that emptied accounts","firstPublishedAt":"2026-11-02T03:06:33.425159+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-11-02T03:06:33.425159+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["voice-cloning","impersonation","fraud","phone-scam","older-people","italy"]},{"id":"2025-ireland-ai-cloned-investment-videos-of-presidential-candidate-removed-by-meta","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Fraudsters are already using deepfake technology to clone the image and voice of presidential election candidate Heather Humphreys in fake investment videos circulating online.'; 'Bank of Ireland is warning consumers to watch out for more of these adverts, mainly originating via Meta platforms, over the coming weeks.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The videos, which have circulated in recent days, cloned the Fine Gael politician’s image and voice using deepfake technology.'; 'The footage falsely portrayed an RTÉ News segment in which ‘Humphreys’ endorsed an investment platform, Quantum AI.'; 'The fake videos of Humphreys have primarily circulated Meta social media platforms Instagram and Facebook, Bank of Ireland said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Fake videos circulating mainly on Instagram and Facebook in September 2025 showed presidential candidate Heather Humphreys endorsing an investment platform, Quantum AI, in a purported RTÉ News segment.","causal_attribution":"Description of the adverts by Bank of Ireland and TheJournal.ie; the adverts were not inspected. Both sources rest on the bank's warning for the circulation details."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The video falsely portrays Heather Humphreys endorsing a high-return investment scheme, with the content entirely fabricated using AI-driven voice and image cloning.'; '\"These videos are highly convincing, designed to lure unsuspecting individuals into fraudulent schemes.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Bank of Ireland said the video was entirely fabricated using AI-driven voice and image cloning and that the videos were highly convincing and designed to lure people into fraudulent schemes.","causal_attribution":"The bank's own attribution, relayed by the Connaught Telegraph; the AI sentence is unquoted text of the relayed warning, the head of fraud's quoted remarks do not mention AI, and the technical basis is not stated."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A spokesman for Humphreys said today that the fake videos had been reported to Meta, and called for them to be removed from the social media platforms “immediately”.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A spokesman for Humphreys said the fake videos had been reported to Meta and called for their immediate removal.","causal_attribution":"The candidate's spokesman's statement as reported by TheJournal.ie."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In a statement this evening, a spokesperson for Meta confirmed that the videos have been taken down.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A Meta spokesperson said the videos had been taken down.","causal_attribution":"Meta's statement as reported by TheJournal.ie; Meta did not describe how the videos were made."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Except Humphreys, and Pistorious, never said any of this. The videos are a part of a growing wave of elaborate AI-generated fakes created with advancing voice-cloning software'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Investigate Europe stated that Humphreys never said what a Facebook video showed her saying about Quantum AI and described such videos as AI-generated fakes made with voice-cloning software.","causal_attribution":"Investigate Europe's own reporting in October 2025; it does not say which post it examined or how it established the AI generation."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The Central Bank of Ireland warned last year that Quantum AI claims to provide cryptocurrency trading services using AI technology, and uses AI-generated deepfake videos, fake newspaper articles and photos of high-profile people through social media'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Central Bank of Ireland had warned the previous year that Quantum AI uses AI-generated deepfake videos and photos of high-profile people on social media.","causal_attribution":"Context on the scheme from TheJournal.ie's summary of a regulator's earlier warning, not about these particular videos."}],"effects":[{"label":"presidential candidate's image and voice used in fake investment adverts; her spokesman reported them and demanded removal","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2025/09/11/mayo-scam-alert-fraudsters-cloning-presidential-election-candidate-in-fake-investment-videos/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original read in full; no translation.","independence_group":"bank-of-ireland-warning"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.thejournal.ie/heather-humphreys-fake-ad-6814132-Sep2025/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original read in full; no translation.","independence_group":"thejournal-ie"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/investment-scammers-slip-through-cracks-in-eu-big-tech-law","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English original read in full; no translation.","independence_group":"investigate-europe"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","public_life"],"unknowns":["Who made the videos and which AI tool was used.","How Bank of Ireland established that the videos were AI-made.","How many people saw the videos and whether anyone invested after seeing them.","Whether a complaint was made to the Gardaí."],"geography":{"basis":"Bank of Ireland warned consumers about adverts using an Irish presidential candidate (Connaught Telegraph), the videos presented a purported RTÉ News segment (TheJournal.ie), and the Facebook post described by Investigate Europe pitched the platform to Irish families. She is a candidate for the Irish presidency. No court is involved.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IE"],"affected_person_countries":["IE"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published because a bank's fraud function attributed the fake investment videos to AI voice and image cloning and the depicted candidate's spokesman reported them to Meta and demanded their removal. The AI attribution is the bank's, with no technical basis stated.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Bank of Ireland's consumer warning, as relayed by the Connaught Telegraph (the AI wording is in the warning's text, not in the head of fraud's quoted remarks), says the video showing the candidate endorsing a high-return investment scheme was entirely fabricated using AI-driven voice and image cloning; Investigate Europe also describes such videos as AI-generated fakes made with voice-cloning software. The cloned likeness is what the adverts presented to viewers and what her spokesman reported to Meta. The bank does not state its technical basis, and the tool and maker are not identified.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Bank of Ireland says AI-cloned videos of presidential candidate Heather Humphreys promoted an investment scam; her spokesman reported them and Meta removed them","summary":"In September 2025, during the campaign for Ireland's presidential election, fake videos circulated mainly on Facebook and Instagram showing Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys endorsing a high-return investment platform called Quantum AI, presented as an RTÉ News segment. Bank of Ireland warned consumers on 11 September that the content was entirely fabricated using AI-driven voice and image cloning and that more such adverts were likely, without stating how it reached that view. A spokesman for Humphreys said the videos had been reported to Meta and called for their immediate removal, and Meta said that evening that it had taken them down. No person who lost money to these particular videos is described in the sources.","incidentDate":"2025-09-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-09-11","aiSystem":"Unidentified voice and image cloning tool used to make fake investment videos of an Irish presidential candidate, as described in a Bank of Ireland warning","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Fake investment adverts that Bank of Ireland says used AI voice and image cloning showed a presidential candidate endorsing a scam platform; her spokesman reported them to Meta and demanded their removal, and Meta took them down (reported).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the presidential candidate whose image and voice the videos used, whose spokesman reported them to Meta and called for their removal (TheJournal.ie). No deceived investor is described in the sources; viewers and the consumers warned by the bank are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IE","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2025/09/11/mayo-scam-alert-fraudsters-cloning-presidential-election-candidate-in-fake-investment-videos/","primarySourceLabel":"Connaught Telegraph, 11 Sep 2025: fraudsters cloning presidential election candidate in fake investment videos","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-29T03:08:45.690104+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-29T03:08:45.690104+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","investment-scam","voice-cloning","depicted-or-impersonated","election","meta"]},{"id":"2025-us-state-department-cable-says-impostor-used-ai-voice-and-text-messages-to-pose-as-secretary-of-state","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'an impostor posing as Rubio had attempted to reach out to at least three foreign ministers, a U.S. senator and a governor, according to the July 3 cable'; 'which were sent by text, Signal and voice mail'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'left voicemails on Signal for at least two targeted individuals'; 'three foreign ministers, a US governor and a member of Congress'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A State Department cable dated 3 July 2025 said an impostor posing as the Secretary of State had attempted to reach at least three foreign ministers, a US governor and a member of Congress by text, Signal and voicemail, leaving Signal voicemails for at least two of them.","causal_attribution":"The cable as reported by AP and the Guardian (one origin); the two accounts differ on whether the legislator was a senator or a member of Congress."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'using technology driven by artificial intelligence, according to two senior officials and a cable sent last week to all embassies and consulates'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'the impostor sent fake voice messages and texts that mimicked'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to AP, two senior officials and the cable described the impersonation attempts as using technology driven by artificial intelligence; the Guardian reports that the messages mimicked the Secretary of State's voice and writing style.","causal_attribution":"The State Department's attribution as relayed by AP and the Guardian; its technical basis is not disclosed."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The hoaxes involving Rubio had been unsuccessful and \"not very sophisticated,\" one of the officials said'; 'advise all employees and foreign governments'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'is currently investigating the matter'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The department said it was investigating, sent the cable to all embassies and consulates and advised all employees and foreign governments; one official said the attempts had been unsuccessful and not very sophisticated.","causal_attribution":"Statements by department officials as reported by AP and the Guardian."}],"effects":[{"label":"the Secretary of State's identity was used in AI voice and text messages to senior officials, prompting a department investigation and warnings","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.npr.org/2025/07/09/nx-s1-5462195/impostor-ai-impersonate-rubio-foreign-officials","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in full in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-14 (HTTP 200). NPR's copy of an Associated Press report; AP had a copy of the cable and spoke to two senior officials.","independence_group":"state-department-cable-3-july-2025"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/08/marco-rubio-ai-impostor","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in full in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-14 (HTTP 200). The Guardian says it confirmed the cable first reported by The Washington Post; same origin as the AP report.","independence_group":"state-department-cable-3-july-2025"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","public_services"],"unknowns":["Who sent the messages and which AI tool was used.","How the department established that AI was used.","Whether any recipient replied or shared information; the Guardian subheading and an AP-quoted official differ."],"geography":{"basis":"The cable was sent by the US State Department, and the recipients included foreign ministers and US officials whose locations are not stated; where the messages were sent from or received is not stated, so no event country is recorded. No affected-person country is inferred from the official's office.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published because AP and the Guardian report a State Department cable and officials stating that an impostor used AI-driven voice and text messages to pose as the Secretary of State to senior officials, and that the department investigated and warned all posts and foreign governments.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-14"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"AP reports that two senior State Department officials and the department's 3 July 2025 cable described the attempts to impersonate the Secretary of State as using technology driven by artificial intelligence, and the Guardian reports from the cable that the voice messages and texts mimicked his voice and writing style. The department, which was investigating the incident and whose cable describes the account's creation in mid-June and the Signal voicemails left for at least two targets, is the party making the attribution; it is the impersonated Secretary of State's own department. The AI-generated messages impersonated the Secretary of State toward senior officials, which led to the investigation and the warnings to all posts and foreign governments. The technical basis for the AI attribution is not disclosed in the sources read, and no tool is identified.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"State Department cable says an impostor used AI voice and text messages to pose as Secretary of State Marco Rubio to foreign ministers and US officials","summary":"A State Department cable dated 3 July 2025, sent to all US embassies and consulates and reported by The Washington Post, AP and The Guardian, said an impostor posing as Secretary of State Marco Rubio had contacted at least five senior officials, including three foreign ministers and a US governor, by text, Signal and voicemail, with the aim of gaining access to information or accounts. According to AP, two senior officials and the cable described the attempts as using technology driven by artificial intelligence; the Guardian reports that the messages mimicked Rubio's voice and writing style. The department said it was investigating and advised all employees and foreign governments. One official told AP the attempts had been unsuccessful; the technical basis for the AI description was not disclosed.","incidentDate":"2025-06-01","incidentEndDate":"2025-07-03","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-07-08","aiSystem":"AI technology used to send voice and text messages imitating the Secretary of State, as described by State Department officials and a department cable; no tool is identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified voice-cloning tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to a State Department cable and officials quoted by AP and the Guardian, an impostor used AI voice and text messages in the Secretary of State's name to contact senior officials, and the department opened an investigation and warned all diplomatic posts and foreign governments. No recipient is reported to have been deceived.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: the Secretary of State, whose identity was used and whose department responded with an investigation and warnings. The at least five officials who received messages are not counted, because no adverse consequence is reported for them (an official said the attempts were unsuccessful).","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.npr.org/2025/07/09/nx-s1-5462195/impostor-ai-impersonate-rubio-foreign-officials","primarySourceLabel":"NPR (Associated Press), 9 July 2025: Impostor uses AI to impersonate Rubio and contact foreign and U.S. officials","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-14T03:03:37.670188+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-14T03:03:37.670188+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["united-states","state-department","signal","voicemail","impersonation","voice-cloning","public-official"]},{"id":"2025-uk-royal-mail-christmas-ad-ai-voiceover-resembling-late-narrator-daughter-distress","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Royal Mail, Britain' and 'admitted that it used artificial intelligence to deliver its festive message to the nation.' and 'We can reveal that Fameplay licensed its AI technology from ElevenLabs'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'As is increasingly common, the voiceover was AI-generated and we were advised that it was created using prompts and was not designed to replicate any specific individual.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Royal Mail confirmed that the voiceover in its 2025 Christmas advert was AI-generated; Deadline reports that the agency subcontracted it to the AI company Fameplay, which licensed technology from ElevenLabs.","causal_attribution":"Royal Mail statement and Deadline reporting; the AI generation of the voice is not disputed."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'It was November 2025, 11 years after her father had passed.' and 'feared that Vaughan' and 'voice was somehow recreated without permission.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'No one in my family had given anyone permission to use his voice. No one had asked. I was really upset by the whole experience.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Vaughan's daughter heard the advert in November 2025, believed the voice was her late father's, and says she was upset that it was used without the family's permission.","causal_attribution":"The daughter's own account given in two interviews; one witness and one origin."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'said there was “considerable phonetic similarity” between the voice in the Royal Mail ads and that of Vaughan.' and 'All three said there were enough similarities to conclude that there was a good chance the AI-generated voice was the “same speaker” as Vaughan.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'There is considerable phonetic similarity between the voice in the Royal Mail adverts and that of Paul Vaughan'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"A forensic speech scientist said there was considerable phonetic similarity between the advert voice and Vaughan's, and Deadline reported that three open-source analysis tools indicated a good chance they were the same speaker.","causal_attribution":"Expert opinion and Deadline's own tool comparison; it supports resemblance and does not establish how the voice was generated."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'the company insisted no reference to Vaughan was used in its generative prompts.' and 'the company would only confirm that the Royal Mail narration was not a direct voice clone of Vaughan.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'was not designed to replicate any specific individual.' and 'The production partners also carried out checks and advised that these did not identify any resemblance concerns.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Royal Mail said the voice was not designed to replicate any specific individual and that checks found no resemblance concerns; Fameplay said no reference to Vaughan was used in its prompts, and ElevenLabs said the narration was not a direct clone of Vaughan.","causal_attribution":"Company denials, recorded as contrary evidence."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'has not received an apology from the Royal Mail after complaining.' and 'ElevenLabs has added Vaughan to its No Go Voices'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The daughter complained to Royal Mail and received no apology; ElevenLabs added Vaughan to its No Go Voices list.","causal_attribution":"Deadline reporting of the aftermath."}],"effects":[{"label":"shock and distress on hearing an AI-generated advert voice she recognised as her late father's, used without the family's permission","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://deadline.com/2026/10/paul-vaughan-bbc-paddington-ai-royal-mail-1237149879/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-11; no translation was needed and no human reviewer inspected the text. HTTP 200, full article body retained.","independence_group":"deadline-royal-mail-vaughan"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/paul-vaughan-ai-voice-royal-mail-christmas-advert-2025-b3064151.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-11; no translation was needed and no human reviewer inspected the text. Read on the MSN content-API syndicated copy (provider The Independent, same text); it relays Deadline and adds its own Royal Mail statement.","independence_group":"deadline-royal-mail-vaughan"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2255616/experts-warn-ai-dangers-royal-2255616","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-11; no translation was needed and no human reviewer inspected the text. Read on the MSN content-API syndicated copy (provider Daily Express, same text).","independence_group":"express-royal-mail-vaughan"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life","relationships"],"unknowns":["How the voice was generated and whether the underlying model was trained on Vaughan's recordings; ElevenLabs declined to comment on training.","The dates the advert aired beyond November 2025, and whether Royal Mail has withdrawn or altered it."],"geography":{"basis":"Deadline reports that the daughter heard the Royal Mail advert on ITV at home in Buckinghamshire, England, in November 2025, and the campaign was Royal Mail's UK Christmas campaign. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["GB"],"affected_person_countries":["GB"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a case of an AI-generated advert voice reaching a bereaved relative: Royal Mail confirms the voiceover was AI-generated, the late narrator's daughter recognised it as her father and describes her distress, and a forensic speech scientist and Deadline's tool comparison report close similarity. Two reporting chains were read (Deadline, relayed by The Independent, and the Daily Express). The companies deny that the voice was designed to copy him or is a direct clone, so causation is recorded as disputed.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-11"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Royal Mail told The Independent and the Daily Express that \"the voiceover was AI-generated\", created using prompts, and Deadline reports that Royal Mail admitted using artificial intelligence for it. Deadline reports that the voiceover was subcontracted to Fameplay, which licensed ElevenLabs technology. The generated narration is what the daughter heard and recognised as her father: she said \"that was Dad\", and a forensic speech scientist found \"considerable phonetic similarity\" between the advert voice and Vaughan's. The AI-generated voice is undisputed; whether it imitates Vaughan is disputed by Royal Mail, Fameplay and ElevenLabs.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with","depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"UK: Royal Mail confirms AI-generated voiceover in 2025 Christmas ad that late narrator Paul Vaughan's daughter says was his voice; firms deny a clone","summary":"Royal Mail's 2025 Christmas television campaign ended with a narrator speaking the slogan \"Royal Mail, it's so much more than just a card\". In November 2025 the daughter of the BBC narrator Paul Vaughan, who died in 2014 and was known for Horizon and the Paddington audiobooks, heard the advert on television and believed the voice was her father's; Deadline reports that she feared his voice had been recreated without permission, and she told the Daily Express that no one in the family had given permission and that she was really upset. Responding to questions from Deadline, Royal Mail admitted using AI for the voiceover; its spokesperson told The Independent and the Daily Express that the voiceover was AI-generated, created using prompts and not designed to replicate any specific individual, and that its production partners' checks found no resemblance concerns. Deadline reported that the agency subcontracted the voiceover to the Czech AI firm Fameplay, which licensed technology from ElevenLabs; Fameplay said no reference to Vaughan was used in its prompts and ElevenLabs said the narration was not a direct clone of Vaughan, while declining to say whether its model was trained on his recordings. A University of York forensic speech scientist was quoted by both outlets as finding considerable phonetic similarity between the advert voice and Vaughan's, and Deadline reported that three open-source analysis tools indicated a good chance the voices were the same speaker. Deadline reports that she complained to Royal Mail and has received no apology; ElevenLabs has added Vaughan to its list of voices that cannot be cloned on its platform.","incidentDate":"2025-11-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-10-09","aiSystem":"AI-generated voiceover for the slogan of Royal Mail's 2025 Christmas television campaign, subcontracted by the ad agency to Fameplay, a Czech AI voice company that Deadline reports licensed its technology from ElevenLabs.","aiProduct":"Fameplay AI voiceover (reported)","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The late narrator's daughter says that hearing what she recognised as her dead father's voice in the AI-generated advert, eleven years after his death and without the family's permission, left her shocked and upset; the Daily Express quotes her as saying she was really upset by the whole experience. Royal Mail and the AI companies deny that the voice was designed to replicate him. No other harm is reported.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"disputed","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person: Vaughan's daughter, who describes her own distress on hearing the advert. Her husband heard the advert but no harm to him is reported, and television viewers are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"GB","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://deadline.com/2026/10/paul-vaughan-bbc-paddington-ai-royal-mail-1237149879/","primarySourceLabel":"Deadline, 9 October 2026: daughter of late BBC and Paddington narrator accuses Royal Mail of recreating her father's voice with AI","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-11T03:25:26.999857+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-11T03:25:26.999857+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-voice","voice-cloning","advertising","royal-mail","elevenlabs","deceased-person","united-kingdom","depicted","institutional-use"]},{"id":"2025-shanghai-voice-actor-ai-synthesised-voice-company-promotion-appeal-ruling","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'2026年9月29日，上海市第一中级人民法院依法审结上海首例人工智能合成语音引发的自然人声音权益保护纠纷案件，判决平台运营方构成声音侵权，赔偿权利人经济损失5万元'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'上海市第一中级人民法院依法判决：驳回上诉，维持原判'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'驳回上诉，维持原判'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'经上海市第一中级人民法院二审，于2026年9月29日驳回上诉，维持原判'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On 29 September 2026 the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court concluded a voice-rights case arising from AI-synthesised speech, described as the first in Shanghai, holding that the platform operator infringed and must pay 50,000 yuan for economic loss; the appeals were dismissed and the first-instance judgment upheld.","causal_attribution":"Court outcome as relayed by outlets citing the court; the judgment was not inspected."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'2025年1月'; '从好友处了解到'; 'A公司在其互联网推广拉新活动中疑似使用了'; '该活动使用的自己声音疑似AI合成，于是对相关音频进行了公证以固定证据'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In January 2025 the voice actor learned from a friend that Company A appeared to be using the voice actor's voice in an online user-acquisition promotion, judged the audio to be AI-synthesised and had it notarised before suing.","causal_attribution":"The claimant's case as summarised in the court account."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'其从未与A公司进行过合作和任何授权，A公司擅自使用其声音构成侵权，遂要求A公司停止侵权并赔偿经济损失30万元'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The voice actor said there had been no cooperation with or authorisation of Company A and asked the court to stop the use and award 300,000 yuan.","causal_attribution":"The claimant's position as summarised in the court account."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A公司辩称，案涉音频确为该公司开发的AI生成，但具体的来源和投喂的素材因前员工离职无法确认'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Company A said the audio was generated by AI the company had developed, but that its source and the material fed to the system could not be confirmed because a former employee had left.","causal_attribution":"The company's defence as summarised in the court account; the company denied using the voice actor's voice."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'在28个共振峰声学指标中'; '有24个偏离度小于10%，其中16个小于5.36%，两者较为相似及高度相似的部分达到90%'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A forensic comparison found that 24 of 28 formant indicators deviated by less than 10 percent and that the parts rated fairly or highly similar reached 90 percent.","causal_attribution":"Forensic opinion as summarised in the court account."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A公司的行为构成人工智能生成声音侵权'; '赔偿5万元'; '双方均不服一审判决，提起上诉'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'并向长宁区人民法院提出起诉'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The first-instance court awarded 50,000 yuan and both sides appealed; the Legal Daily report carried on Sina Finance says the claim was filed in the Changning District People's Court.","causal_attribution":"Procedural history as relayed from the court account."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'未经自然人同意，使用自然人的声音作为训练语料，模仿该自然人的音色、语调和发音风格等生成能够识别该自然人的合成人声，应当认定侵害自然人声音权益'; '应承担举证不能的不利后果'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The appeal court held that using a person's voice as training material without consent to generate an identifiable synthetic voice infringes that person's voice rights, and that Company A bore the consequence of failing to prove the lawful source of its material.","causal_attribution":"The appeal court's reasoning as relayed; it rests on a presumption from similarity and access, because the company did not produce its training records."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'涉案语音上架持续时间较短，属流程播报提示音效'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The appeal court noted that the audio was online for a short time and was a process prompt sound in the promotion.","causal_attribution":"The appeal court's reasoning on the amount, as relayed."}],"effects":[{"label":"courts reported to have found a voice actor's voice identifiable in AI-synthesised audio used without consent in a company promotion","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://news.ifeng.com/c/8woTv1MjTRx","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"The Paper's article as carried on ifeng, read in the original Chinese on 2026-10-05 (HTTP 200). English renderings in this record are the research agent's (an AI's) own translations; no human translator reviewed them. Relays the Shanghai High People's Court WeChat account; the judgment itself was not inspected.","independence_group":"shanghai-no1-intermediate-court-release"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260929A0C6NK00","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Southern Metropolis Daily N Video on Tencent News, read in Chinese on 2026-10-05 (HTTP 200). English renderings in this record are the research agent's (an AI's) own translations; no human translator reviewed them. The reporter cites the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court; same court account as s1.","independence_group":"shanghai-no1-intermediate-court-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://finance.sina.com.cn/jjxw/2026-09-29/doc-initpatz6144930.shtml","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh","translation_note":"Legal Daily article carried on Sina Finance, read in the original Chinese on 2026-10-05 (HTTP 200). English renderings in this record are the research agent's (an AI's) own translations; no human translator reviewed them. Same court account with the first-instance court named and a judge's commentary.","independence_group":"shanghai-no1-intermediate-court-release"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["Which company and which speech-synthesis product were involved; the court account anonymises both.","When the promotion began and how long the audio was in use.","Whether the company used the voice actor's recordings as training material; the court presumed it because the company did not prove otherwise.","The dates of the filing and of the first-instance judgment.","Where the voice actor lives."],"geography":{"basis":"The case was decided by the Changning District People's Court and the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court in China. The reports anonymise the company and the app and do not say where the company is based, where its online promotion ran or where the voice actor lives, so no event or affected-person country is recorded.","court_countries":["CN"],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the Shanghai courts found that a company imitated a voice actor's voice with AI-synthesised audio in a promotion without consent and awarded 50,000 yuan. One reporting chain (the court's release, read in three Chinese outlets); the parties are anonymised by the court.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-05"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"In the court account, the company said the audio was generated by AI it had developed, and both courts found AI-generated voice infringement. The audio imitated the voice actor's voice (depicted_or_impersonated). The company denied using the voice actor's recordings; the appeal court relied on a forensic similarity report and on the company's failure to prove the source of its training material.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Shanghai: an appeal court upheld a 50,000 yuan award to a voice actor after finding that AI-synthesised audio in a company's online promotion was identifiable as the voice actor's voice","summary":"Chinese outlets reported on 29 September 2026, citing the Shanghai courts, that the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court had concluded what it called Shanghai's first voice-rights case arising from AI-synthesised speech. According to the court's account, a voice actor who publishes work on an app learned from a friend in January 2025 that a company appeared to be using the voice actor's voice in an online user-acquisition promotion, judged the audio to be AI-synthesised, had it notarised and sued for 300,000 yuan. The company said the audio was generated by AI it had developed but that the training material could not be confirmed, and denied using the voice actor's voice. A forensic comparison rated about 90 percent of the measured features as fairly or highly similar. The first-instance court awarded 50,000 yuan and both sides appealed. The appeal court held that the company had put an identifiable synthetic voice to commercial use without consent, dismissed the appeals and upheld the award.","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-29","aiSystem":"AI speech synthesis developed by the defendant company (anonymised as Company A in the court account), which the courts found had generated audio imitating the voice actor's voice for an online promotion","aiProduct":"Unidentified voice-cloning tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the court's account as relayed by Chinese outlets, the Shanghai courts found that AI-synthesised audio used in a company's online promotion was identifiable as a voice actor's voice and had been used without consent, causing economic loss, and awarded 50,000 yuan.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the voice actor who brought the claim (court account relayed by The Paper, Southern Metropolis Daily and Legal Daily). Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"CN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_filed","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://news.ifeng.com/c/8woTv1MjTRx","primarySourceLabel":"The Paper via ifeng, 29 September 2026: AI took a voice actor's voice, company ordered to pay 50,000 yuan","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-05T03:16:35.611187+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T03:16:35.611187+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["voice-cloning","voice-rights","voice-actor","court-ruling","shanghai","china","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2025-hillsborough-reported-daughter-voice-impersonation-bond-scam","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body, retained text line 39: paragraph about voice impersonation belief.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Article body, retained text line 49: paragraph about voice impersonation belief.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The woman said she received a call from someone sounding like her daughter and the family believes the voice was AI-generated from social media material.","causal_attribution":"One WFLA family interview syndicated by Yahoo. The alleged voice cloning is the family's belief. Reported scam narratives of injury and death were false demands and are not actual harm outcomes."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body, retained text line 40: paragraph about cash handover.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Article body, retained text line 42: paragraph about cash handover.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Article body, retained text line 52: paragraph about cash handover.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"She said she withdrew $15,000, handed it to a driver and lost money she and her retired husband held as savings.","causal_attribution":"One WFLA family interview syndicated by Yahoo. The alleged voice cloning is the family's belief. Reported scam narratives of injury and death were false demands and are not actual harm outcomes."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body, retained text line 33: paragraph about shared retirement savings.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Article body, retained text line 47: paragraph about shared retirement savings.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The WFLA account says the call began the previous Wednesday and the family stopped a further payment demand after reaching the real daughter.","causal_attribution":"One WFLA family interview syndicated by Yahoo. The alleged voice cloning is the family's belief. Reported scam narratives of injury and death were false demands and are not actual harm outcomes."}],"effects":[{"label":"Reported loss of $15,000 in shared retirement savings","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/hillsborough-woman-conned-15k-ai-201429833.html","kind":"journalistic","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"wfla-family-interview"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","relationships"],"unknowns":["The suspected voice-cloning method has not been technically confirmed.","Whether any money was recovered or anyone was charged is unknown."],"geography":{"basis":"The report places the woman and cash handover at her home in Dover, Hillsborough County, Florida.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"A concrete family interview describes a cash loss and case-specific suspicion of AI voice impersonation. AI involvement is marked suspected. The false emergency narrative is not treated as an actual injury or death.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-30"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The family believes social media videos were used to generate a replica of the daughter's voice. The source supplies no forensic or police confirmation of the generation method.","status":"suspected"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Florida woman reports $15,000 loss after a call she believed used her daughter's cloned voice","summary":"A Hillsborough County woman told WFLA that she handed over $15,000 after a caller sounded like her daughter and another person claimed the daughter needed bond money. The report dates the call to the preceding Wednesday, 9 July 2025. The family believes the voice had been generated from social media videos with AI. A later demand was stopped when the family reached the real daughter. The woman said the money was savings she shared with her retired husband. Technical confirmation of voice cloning is unavailable.","incidentDate":"2025-07-09","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-07-15","aiSystem":"Suspected AI-generated voice impersonation","aiProduct":"Unidentified voice-cloning tool (suspected)","aiCompany":"Unknown","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The woman reported handing over $15,000 of the retired couple's shared savings. She said the family stopped a further demand after reaching the real daughter.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"The woman expressly describes the lost money as savings belonging to herself and her retired husband. Two holders of the shared savings are counted. The daughter and grandson are not counted as harmed.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/hillsborough-woman-conned-15k-ai-201429833.html","primarySourceLabel":"WFLA report syndicated by Yahoo, 15 July 2025, family account of bond scam","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-30T01:10:36.689861+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:24:47.29504+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]}]}