Mayor of an Italian town reports AI-made voice messages in the parish priest's voice asking residents for money; the priest warns parishioners it is not him
At the Tolentino (Marche, Italy) council session of 24 September 2026 the mayor, Mauro Sclavi, reported attempted scams in the town: some residents had been telephoned by people posing as carabinieri from Macerata, and others had received voice messages requesting money that used the voice and name of the parish priest of the town's pastoral unit. According to the mayor, as reported by Corriere Adriatico and Picchio News, the messages were made with artificial intelligence, which reproduced the priest's voice and his South American accent faithfully. The priest told Corriere Adriatico that a parishioner had called him saying the parishioner's mother had received such a message, that he had told him it was a scam, and he warned parishioners: 'Non cadete nelle trappola, non sono io'. No payment, loss or identified victim is reported; the mayor asked residents to verify callers and report attempts to the police.
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 2 sources, 1 underlying account · Added 09/10/2026