Kissimmee, FL — Scammers reportedly used artificial intelligence to clone the voice of a Florida sheriff as part of a fake arrest-warrant scheme, highlighting how increasingly accessible AI tools are making traditional impersonation scams harder to recognize.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said scammers cloned Sheriff Steve Moser’s voice and used his photograph while contacting a resident. Sheriff Chris Blackmon said the call was fraudulent despite appearing and sounding as though it came from Moser.
The incident follows similar reports across several states involving scammers impersonating law enforcement officers and claiming victims missed jury duty or face outstanding warrants. The schemes frequently pressure targets to make immediate payments to avoid arrest.
Authorities warn that legitimate law enforcement agencies do not demand payment over the phone to resolve warrants or missed jury service.
AI-generated voice cloning adds another layer of credibility because scammers can reproduce a recognizable person’s tone and speech using relatively small samples of recorded audio.
The technology has already been used in fraud targeting families, older adults and businesses. In some cases, criminals have impersonated executives to persuade employees or financial institutions to transfer large sums of money.
Florida law makes impersonating a law enforcement officer a felony.
Officials advise anyone receiving a threatening call claiming to be from police to hang up and independently contact the agency through a verified phone number.
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