89-Year-Old Grandma Hands Over $14,000 in AI Phone Scam

Grandma Shirley says her nightmare began when she heard her grandson's voice on the phone saying he was in an accident and needed money. She says another person, who identified as her grandson's attorney, told her she needed to pay $9,000 for the charges against her grandson to be dropped. After she paid, another call came in and that person demanded $5,000 dollars, which Shirley also paid. After calling her grandson, she realized she got scammed. Inside Edition's Steven Fabian has more.

[@charlottelast2278]

She’s so innocent and naive….I feel so bad this happened to her 😔 what a sweet grandma

[@carriethompson84]

I don't really think she's naive, she heard her grandson's voice. That's the scary thing these days, they can replicate people's voices. I think a lot of us would have tried to call the person cell phone just to make sure this was really happening because it's shocking to hear something like that especially a baby dying.. I know what you meant though, it's so sad and that's a lot of money

[@hollowkid97]

​@Carrie Thompson yes Naive. Why would she give a cop money? One that wasn't even dressed like a cop

[@lauranolastnamegiven3385]

@@hollowkid97 yeah, my first thought was, is this in America? she thought money would 'take care of the charges'? on a car accident resulting in grave bodily injuries? sounds like she's not naïve so much, as jaded

[@fargoth391]

@@lauranolastnamegiven3385 yeah bribery might work in a 3rd world country, but not here in America...

[@tonymontana4284]

The Grandson was in on it.

[@marknethercutt3381]

Running a scam on a 89 year old woman how horrible

[@MitchellTheMitch]

They don't care about your age. They don't care about your financial status. You're nothing to them. Until it happens to them and you rob THEM of their life.

[@qk8466]

They did this to my 80 year old great grandma thank god it was less but it’s sick people like this the prey on old and weak

[@tannerpaisley-ve6dq]

Car dealerships do it all the time

[@bobby6569]

So what? She's a privileged woman with a privileged life. She's 89, how much longer you think she got left? What's she going to spend the money on anyways? Jeez.

[@chelskaf]

it's because they know they're the easiest to trick sadly

[@123RADIOactive]

What sucks is that whoever felt it’s okay to do this to a old lady who had done NOTHING to them won’t get a very painful punishment that last for life…….

[@aceee9813]

I don’t feel like violence is needed in this case but they should do time.

[@mattsmith4589]

Karma is always over they shoulder best believe

[@eatass5627]

What you wanna pluck their eye out because some rich old woman got scammed? What country u think this is 😂

[@Airamimosa]

What better punishment that their soul be tournamented in h3ll for eternity.

[@user-ug5wf5bm1p]

Oh yes they will, we or the sweet elderly woman won't know it. Trust me!!

[@LoveHandle4890]

All scammers need to be imprisoned as soon as possible. This cannot continue.

[@Thesixwolf6]

How?

[@srjwildcat3589]

💯

[@morsinvicta3904]

good luck with that

[@anacc3257]

@@Thesixwolf6 By tracking down and locking up these cold blooded thieves?

[@goofygooferson7834]

You mean executed

[@TheseEyesSeeDarknessClearly7]

Why the hell is the suspect's face blocked?

[@amethystAnge7]

Protecting monsters like that why

[@mcdragon0123]

​@@amethystAnge7 cause I guess they have rights too 😒

[@pitbull7885]

I agree

[@minatonaruto8813]

@@mcdragon0123 they do

[@srjwildcat3589]

​@@mcdragon0123 They give up those rights the minute they break the law. IMO

[@KeqingMain8]

To all grandparents: If you receive a phone call like this, contact your grandchildren's parents to confirm. Even though the "grandchild" might say to not check with their parents, you still need to check with the parents. Check with other family members first to confirm if the phonecall is genuine.

[@mkhanman12345]

Or call whoever the phone call is about Idk why she waited to call the grandson

[@nyancatnatalie]

Its so heartbreaking and infuriating that they do this to people. Poor woman.

[@Christopher-qq4dl]

Amen!

[@funnyfaceaz]

It's unfortunate that she didn't think to call her grandson after she got that first phone call.

[@poppy83.]

^ this lol

[@iamdeli]

it’s so disgusting how people target the elderly like this! I feel awful for her

[@GC-mb3qb]

Call your parents everyday, especially if their elderly and living alone. I caught my parent on the way to the bank to bail out my nephew, it was a scam, stopped them just in time.

[@DiaperSNiFFER]

Lucky 🍀

[@jessewallace12able]

Scamming old people: immediate life sentence.

[@Kira1Lawliet]

WHY WOULD YOU BLUR OUT THE FACE OF THE CRIMINAL???!?!?

[@pitbull7885]

we need to identify this guy and get him behind bars

[@minatonaruto8813]

They have rights

[@andrewqualls]

Have any of you thought that this is possibly A fake/set up story so that Inside edition can get views? I was wondering the same as to why the guy’s face was blurred and he is the criminal here. First time I’ve seen this any news video where the criminal is present

[@Kira1Lawliet]

@@andrewqualls I've never heard of Inside Edition faking a news story before. And I could definitely believe that the law is so f'ed up that they would still have to blur the identity of an obvious crook.

[@deniseneil4112]

@@andrewqualls no! Because this new voice mimicking is happening.

[@BigBoss2000]

Man that is horrible, I’m sorry this happened to this sweet grandma 😔

[@SundbybergD]

Should've picked up the phone and called her grandson, right then and there.

[@CeedeezEditzquit]

This needs to stop all the scams

[@Thesixwolf6]

How can you do that

[@CeedeezEditzquit]

Idk

[@swallowedinthesea11]

@@Thesixwolf6 Some people will always become victims of scams.

[@Thesixwolf6]

@@swallowedinthesea11 i know

[@srjwildcat3589]

Let the victims decide the punishment. That would be just. IF that were to ever happen (NEVER will) I'll bet ALL crime would decrease.

[@georgeadusei1003]

I know someone who got scammed. The feeling of shame you get is disheartening, and the scammers don't care how it affects the person. It's breaks my heart thinking about what this lady is feeling right now. It never goes away.

[@nightsphenom7122]

This scammer deserves to go to prison for the rest of his life

[@lauranolastnamegiven3385]

Everyone should establish a 'code word' amongst their family, to make sure it's really them. Or, ask the person a question only they would know, something they've NEVER POSTED ABOUT, TO SOCIAL MEDIA.

[@deniseneil4112]

THIS!!!!!! And THIS again!!!! 🎯👍

[@Awholekit]

Nobody charges in cash and anyone with any sense would call the family member before they paid....a code word isn't necessarily needed.

[@lauranolastnamegiven3385]

@@Awholekit what if grandma only has one phone? either just a landline, or just the cell she's on with the scammer, how's she supposed to call someone else? in case it's real, should you really break contact with them?

[@BenWinder108]

What handing over $9,000 in cash wasn't suspicious to her?

[@loveforeignaccents]

Obviously not, but it was actually 14 large all told.

[@deniseevans7960]

She seems like she has all her faculties. Too trusting. Why didn't she call a family member to find out the situation?? Also why would the bank give that much cash to an elderly person. I think they should ask if everything is alright. Or if they need a cashier's check. Perhaps she would have said something and the teller could have alerted authorities.

[@mikef2811]

I have a friend whose mother in law sold her house and gave all the money away to scammers and refuses to tell them what happened to all her money.

[@loveforeignaccents]

@@deniseevans7960 A lot of old folks don't trust banks and keep their cash at home. I have also heard of tellers inquiring when an elderly person takes out large sums. I actually went to Walgreens the other night to get my dad gift cards, and the screen there now advises people to the scam with gift cards, which I thought was pretty cool.

[@manoftomorrow5987]

She gave away 14k THEN decided to call her grandson. Mannnn...sometimes its tough being sorry for some people.

[@theodorefinnegan5062]

This is so sad, I don’t know how scammers like them sleep at night.

[@user-vj4ih9pp9z]

With 14k in your account, youd forget about all the problems. 🤣🤣

[@RensoJimenezz]

@@user-vj4ih9pp9z in this economy that’s nothing

[@swallowedinthesea11]

@@RensoJimenezz I'm pretty sure they have amassed some good money over the years.

[@RensoJimenezz]

@@swallowedinthesea11 accumulative then yeah but just a one 14k robbery isn’t that much really

[@RensoJimenezz]

@@firstlast8258 that makes no sense. Just because it isn’t a lot doesn’t mean anyone would just give away 14k for no reason. You missed the point.

[@hectorrock9647]

Scammer should be put in prison for long time.

[@maga6252]

Do not lose your house to these scammers, lady. This is too outrageous!

[@stanshieh]

Old people usually fall prey to this kind of scam.

[@blueoak5262]

Wish I had peoples like that in my life, how fortunate that young man is.

[@katev37209]

This is so sad but at least I don't have to worry about my parents getting scammed because they wouldn't care enough to pay 😂

[@poppy83.]

Relatable.

[@Borderlands808]

If this ever happens to you, call said person(s) right away to check on them. Something like This happened to another lady where the scammer said they had her daughter and to pay for her release. Luckily, the mom called her daughter and she was fine. The scammer was talking in the daughters voice using AI. you can pretty much sound like anyone you want now days. Scary stuff.

[@NsyShwl]

Poor grandma 😢😢 there is a special place in hell for these guys.. this grandma was just trying to help and they scammed her 😡

[@marie123moore9]

This is so sad it happened to his grandma but I don’t understand why she didn’t call her son or daughter to make sure her grandson was OK. She seemed very sound mind and everything. I don’t understand how people keep falling for these scams.

[@pittykitty6503]

Why do you hide the face of the crook?

[@shawntab86]

There is a special place in hell for people that would scam someone especially the elderly.

[@mattg1611]

This happened to my friends grandma with dementia over the phone. The fact these people prey on the elderly is absolutely disgusting.

[@john_wick1]

Her grandson must be in it too... AI needs that persons voice in the first place...

[@swallowedinthesea11]

Preach, boogeyman!

[@hayleymariemills]

If he's ever spoke on social media, even for seconds, there's a program that you can type in what you want that person to say, it instantly spits it out. If you go to Crime after Crime, on the last episode, John Lordan talks about it & does it to show how it works. It's in the first 10 minutes of the episode

[@hayleymariemills]

It's terrible & atrocious that this happened to an elderly person but i also give a little side eye her way for agreeing to pay off someone to get her grandson out of what she thought were charges of harming a pregnant woman & killing an unborn child.

[@zombl337og]

people need to be more aware of the world around them

[@mimirw8031]

Why didn't her bank question the transaction? Not once but twice. Poor lady.

[@xxshinanaevangelianxx]

Don't blur the scammer's face! They need to be shamed! Definitely let this be a lesson to get both side's of the story, call your grandson, son, daughter, mother, whoever and ask them what's going on. And if you're able to meet your scammer after playing along like in this women's situation, have a cop there to arrest them.

[@JBsuperSTARR]

Old age doesn't equal wisdom or street smarts. Bless her heart.

[@honeybadger1626]

Yes, sometimes age and wisdom do not always go hand in hand,,

[@deniseneil4112]

Many young people aren’t aware of this voice mimicking either. 🤷‍♀️

[@prinbot]

@@deniseneil4112 Its not even about that really

[@srjwildcat3589]

​@@deniseneil4112EXACTLY 💯

[@skate-gt4rc]

@@prinbot just wondering why she didn’t call her grandson to confirm he’s ok before giving away the money

[@thetruepatriot7733]

This man needs some street justice...the bank should have stopped this woman, especially when she returned for a 2nd withdrawal...

[@GGoblin1]

Preying on the elderly and scamming them is the lowest of the low

[@aye_dee5]

Her grandson had something to do with it

[@hayleymariemills]

Nope it's an AI program that's available online. If that person has ever talked, even for seconds on social media, you take that clip, upload it to the program & it makes that voice say anything you type out.

[@WishesWRLD.]

this is so sad... she loves her grandson so much

[@BenWinder108]

Yepp. They have to all be taught. Why would you need $14,000 because you broke your nose

[@gemmalocatelli5916]

This is horrible 😢 My grandma got taken for 500k

[@olekmasidnoz9182]

Why the cap

[@Stand_with_Israel]

Please talk to your elderly loved ones about this When i went to talk my aunt she actually told me she got a call 2 weeks prior where she told the man things i cant repeat in the comments section That woman is a gem Wish all could be as street smart as her (she's 86)

[@Taliaher3]

Umm why TF is his face blurred! Whoever can do such a thing is a evil person asking a 89 year old grandma! I’m curious as to how did they know she had money and all that? Seems odd

[@marcellasimone1998]

This happened to my grandma in 2015. Someone called claiming I was found with drugs in car and needed $ to get charges dropped. She paid the person over moneygram which is what they requested. I got an email from her asking if things were ok and called her not knowing what she was talking about. Horrible that people do this to the elderly , get a job!

[@loveforeignaccents]

Granny seems pretty with the program so don't know why she wouldn't have called her grandson or his mom in the first place; not to mention, why would they be hitting up grandma and not his mom. I feel sorry for these folks who aren't aware of these scams. Also have no idea why they would block out the person's face off of the camera footage... what's the point of that? Don't we want to catch him and bring him to justice????!!!!??

[@joshuavang5449]

Man I feel so bad for what she had to go through. Whoever that scammer is needs to pay. Hopefully the police can identify him and toss him in jail and make him payback every dime that he owes too. Probably bet he's done this to others liker her too

[@jmtradbr]

Nowdays we need to learn to not panic and ask a personal question to see if is the real person behind.

[@nicolesmith4094]

This is heart breaking!

[@alos4025]

Don’t hide that scammer’s face. Show us, so someone can turn these jerks in.

[@andrewdayton3914]

They have his face in there database, there gonna catch him sooner or later

[@journeymansmitty8283]

Those people should be ashamed of themselves doing bad for this woman 😡

[@steven-un4iw]

Poor lady. God bless her.

[@jorgea8518]

That's terrible. I hope they find the scammer and she gets her money back.

[@user-zt1ly6kf3f]

Those people need to rot in prison.

[@ravipappu8257]

The first thing she should have done was to call her grandson and talk to him, Could have avoided this whole mess in the first place

[@notsureiL]

She got into a panic mood. She is older. Grandma shouldn't be blamed.

[@heatwave2.0]

That’s so sick and cruel what that person did to granny. I hope she can somehow get that money back

[@duckyloudiva5199]

She definitely will not get that $$$ back

[@pitbull7885]

How did the scammers have her Grandson's voice??

[@loveforeignaccents]

Look into it. If people upload any sort of footage w/their speaking voice to FB or IG, what have you, they can very simply use that and clone it.

[@pitbull7885]

@@loveforeignaccents this is so scary!

[@loveforeignaccents]

@@pitbull7885 Yes, indeed!

[@deniseneil4112]

The new AI - making all our lives better….🤦‍♀️🤯🤦‍♀️

[@ethano9527]

She didn’t think to call her kids or grandson first.

[@ohsnapitsjen6253]

How did she get all that money out all at once? My bank only lets u take out 1k at a time and if they see a lot of charges they call go ask

[@hayleymariemills]

You can go into the bank yourself & take out any amount if you have it. Anything under 10k is easiest bc with over that amount you have to fill out IRS forms but you can still get it. You have to go inside yourself & do it tho, no atms

[@BigBoss2000]

Stop blurring out the criminals face. Criminals don’t need privacy 😒

[@osmanbey4430]

ALWAYS CALL YOUR FAMILY MEMBER FIRST TO MAKE SURE NON STOP CALL THEM

[@arizonaranger527]

If this lady has a license and a car , she needs it to be taken away

[@daniellegaming7378]

I hope the money that comes from this video is given to this sweet old grandma

[@TexasHomesteaders]

Why blur the criminals face? The more people that see it the more likely he will get caught. POS.

[@sample.text.]

If you have older family members not savvy with modern scamming techniques you should always teach them to be extra vigilant.

[@gigiitsme7236]

Thank you?!😳 she knew she was getting scammed especially at her age

[@comecorrect1]

Anyone that does this to a genuine and compassionate grandma should rot in prison. Reveal his face so he can serve his punishment!

[@mattsmith4589]

00:40 Ima be honest she seems pretty aware for 89 while talking here I’m sad she fell for it. 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@sandibee4362]

This happens so often. My uncle in San Diego was taken, and then they tried to get my neighbor. Thankfully, I'd popped over there and she wanted ride to bank. Warn your elderly neighbors!!😢

[@treseancann1261]

I hope they find the crook that did this.

[@nml_lostranger]

The fact that they blured out his face makes me mad.

[@Creator-pd6zd]

My grandson would've had to face his consequences and I would've helped pay for an attorney for him.

[@bloodandhonor00]

I think this has been going on for longer a few years back my grandma got a call like this same pregnant women story and all.

[@boredinthehouse2998]

she probably panicked and forgot to verify by calling her grandson (or other family members really). sadly, a perfect target that's probably why they had to do it twice. disgusting scammers!!

[@JLummin]

send this to Trilogy Media and Scammer Payback!

[@Crisis.Knight]

But nobody says anything to her? To call to her grandson is this case? Or his fathers? No one with money must be that naive, the family must warn her always

[@user-cm8ex3wv3i]

This is so sad..🥺

[@BritBelle89]

Wow how despicable.

[@lifeeasier3462]

This is so predatory! I can’t believe the immorality of this! Call the grandson first! Those people should be put to shame. She is an elderly woman!!!

[@PrimeMobileDetailing]

Wow that’s sad man

[@billbrasky8860]

I wish she would have called her grandson immediately after the first call

[@swflscratcher5893]

A man in a baseball cap? Really lady?

[@jesusgeek22]

When you receive a call like this hang up and call your son or grandson and then delete the scammers number, i hope they make justice for the grandma

[@ForMySoulSistas]

OMG that's horrible 🤦🏾‍♀️😟

[@ibrahimraju8319]

What goes around always comes around’ don’t worry grandma u will get justice’ sooner or later

[@cho6094]

Banks should be alerted to large transactions being withdrawn, especially by seniors. They should try and take proactive approach to be on the alert.

[@MyaIsWithIt]

The fact that inside edition will blur the scammers face instead of helping us find him is crazy 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@FaadumoArdo]

Oh! No she should call her grandson before she handed over her money. I hope she is okay. Sorry

[@trashtvinternational]

well any update on catching these disgusting people?????

[@911jayishsupremacy]

Nice way of blurring up the face protecting the criminals’ identity. That they way to defeat the purpose of reporting.

[@eileenpizzi351]

Those scammers need to be in prison. There needs to be a way to teach the elderly about how to avoid such scams. Especially since they may have the beginnings of dementia, causing memory loss and poor judgment.

[@jakeace2830]

This world we live in, can’t trust anyone no more

[@srjwildcat3589]

It's an Fd up mess. That's for sure. Discusting. Wish we could go back to the 80s or earlier. "People" don't give 2 💩 💩 about anyone but themselves these days. I call this generation the ME generation as the only person they care about is themselves & what they want/need. Shame.😢

[@AnonYmous-jo5ec]

@@srjwildcat3589i wonder who taught this generation to be that way? Probably those before them…

[@simonrangel9522]

Her Grandson sounds suspicious….. lol

[@lucyarmstrong4496]

i got the same call...i told them to keep him..he was here with me

[@Shanarai]

Poor old lady, no one likes scammers and we can only do our best to stay vigilant and be careful of them. I hope she could get her money back.

[@resetgang6638]

This is gonna be a big problem

[@duckyloudiva5199]

Well she should have known it was a scam, never hand over cash, tell them you need to speak to your POA, EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE A POA, CALL YOUR KIDS IMMEDIATELY. This is horrible and shows you how dangerous AI REALLY IS.

[@lizzieochoa6855]

Who hands money without making sure? Not matter your age. Wake up people.

[@Lifeattheloadingdock]

OMG!!!! How could you do this and still sleep at night!!!! Poor lady

[@snapple3004]

that poor lady.