Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
MILLCREEK — Phone scammers have become more elaborate and sophisticated with the help of artificial intelligence, according to law enforcement.
A Millcreek woman is encouraging Utahns to stay alert after she nearly became a scam victim.
Traci Myers was spending the July 24 holiday with family in Mount Pleasant while her teenage daughter stayed home alone. Myers said she got a call from a Utah number. When she answered the phone, she heard who she believed was her daughter in distress.
"She's like 'Mom, mom.' I believe it's her, it sounds like her. I am like, it is her," Myers said.
A man claiming to be emergency personnel said her daughter was in an accident. After confirming personal information, Myers said the man changed his story.
"He says, 'Actually, I'm not emergency personnel. What happened is your daughter witnessed something that she shouldn't have,'" Myers said.
The scammer demanded $5,000 in exchange for her return.
"I thought he had her," Myers said.
Thankfully, her husband dialed 911. Unified police were able to conduct a welfare check.
"I'm in my car attempting to enter this long string of code on Venmo when my husband pulls up next to me and is like, 'Charlotte's safe!'"
"If it's an officer, and they're calling and demanding money, we never do that," Salt Lake police detective Dalton Deebe said.
He said sometimes it can be difficult to track down the scammers as they've become more elaborate.
"Watch out. Don't give anyone your personal information, especially if you don't know, verify who they are. If you're not sure and they're claiming especially to be like a loved one, call them on the number that you have."
Myers pleaded with Utahns to stay vigilant.
"I believed it was her whether it was an (artificial intelligence) version of her or just some girl, I don't know, but I believed it," she said.
