Los Angeles – October 06, 2026 -- A phone call that sounds like your child, spouse or parent pleading for emergency cash could be an AI-generated fake, according to a new warning from Mercury Insurance (NYSE/NYSE TX: MCY).
The FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report logged more than 22,000 complaints involving artificial intelligence, resulting in nearly $893 million in reported losses. The agency has flagged voice cloning and other AI-generated content as tools criminals use to make impersonation scams more convincing.
Scammers Use Public Audio to Clone Familiar Voices
Voice-cloning technology can recreate realistic speech from audio samples pulled off social media videos, podcasts or other online content. Criminals then call a relative posing as a loved one, claiming an accident, arrest or other emergency, and demand immediate payment while insisting the victim not contact anyone else.
"Scammers have always relied on urgency and emotion, but AI can make those tactics much more believable," said Dustin Howard, Head of Information Security at Mercury Insurance. "Hearing what sounds like the voice of someone you love can cause you to react before you have time to question what you're hearing."
Mercury Recommends a Family Verification Plan
The insurer suggests households agree in advance on a safe word or phrase that isn't easily found online. Other steps include hanging up and calling the person back on a known number, switching to video calls to check for glitches like choppy footage or unnatural blending, and asking a personal question only the real person would know.
Caller ID should never be trusted, since numbers and names can be spoofed. Mercury also warns against sending money via wire transfer, cryptocurrency or gift cards based solely on an incoming call, text or video, and advises limiting how much personal audio or video is publicly accessible on social media.
Urgency Should Raise Suspicion, Not Lower It
"The more urgent the request is, the more suspicious it should be," Howard said. He recommends families adopt a simple rule: "Stop, Verify, Then Act."
Anyone who believes they've been targeted should contact their financial institution immediately if money or account details were shared, change compromised passwords, and report the incident to authorities. Mercury customers may have access to Home Cyber Protection coverage for certain online fraud and cyber extortion losses, along with Identity Management Services for identity-related fraud, though consumers should check with their agent on specific limits and exclusions.