May 12, 2026
A Chicago man received a call in March about fraudulent charges on his Apple account and began working with a U.S. marshall to resolve it. Unfortunately, none of it was real — except for the $69,000 the man unwittingly turned over to scammers, which his son says amounts to "more than 40%" of his life savings.
The unidentified victim's son, Tony, told CBS Chicago (1) that the scam started with a call impersonating an Apple representative — with the tech company's name appearing on the phone's caller ID.
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After the fake Apple rep convinced Tony's father that his account was breached, she connected him with a supposed U.S. marshall — who texted an AI-generated photo of his badge to "prove" his identity, which was taken from a retired marshall. Convinced the scam was legitimate, Tony's father transferred $69,000 into two accounts he believed were in his name.
Upon following up with the bank, however, he discovered that the accounts were closed, and were never in his name.
In the end, he lost $69,000 to an AI-enabled government impersonation scam, which the FBI warns is a growing threat (2).
How criminals use AI to impersonate government officials
Fraudsters using AI to bilk unsuspecting Americans is, unfortunately, nothing new. From crypto scams to deepfakes impersonating family members to "housefishing" ploys, AI makes it easier for criminals to separate people from their money.
A 2025 FBI internet crime report released in April, however, shows how government impersonation scams — where criminals pose as government or law enforcement employees — are surging nationwide (3).
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The report found complaints about such scams more than doubled last year — up to 32,424 from 17,367 in 2024 — costing Americans almost $798 million in 2025. Criminals used AI in 260 of those scams, resulting in more than $7 million in losses.
Across all categories, however, AI-enabled fraud nabbed more than $893 million.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns scammers often contact victims pretending to represent the IRS or the Social Security Administration, local law enforcement or even made up agencies to get their victims to give up financial or otherwise sensitive information (4).
AI, meanwhile, makes it more difficult to recognize these scams. Photos — like the one the Chicago victim received of a marshall's badge — are easily replicated via AI.
And last summer, in Isle of Wight, Virginia, police captain Tommy Potter told a local news outlet that fraudsters "used my name and my voice" in fake phone calls to residents, threatening arrest if they didn't pay fake fines (5).
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Scammers, though, aren't just targeting locals. A Washington Post investigation (6) last July found that criminals used AI to impersonate the voice of Secretary of State Marco Rubio in messages sent to domestic and foreign lawmakers. Digital forensics expert Hany Farid told WaPo that criminals "just need 15 to 20 seconds of audio of the person" to create fake messages using their voice.
That said, AI duplication isn't perfect, and there are ways that would-be victims can recognize fraud before it happens.
How to detect AI-enabled fraud
To protect yourself from AI-related image and voice/video scams, the FBI recommends (7) paying attention to "subtle imperfections in images and videos" including "distorted hands or feet" as well as awkward movements and facial features. They add that imperfections in the tone of the voice on the phone, including in the choice of words and/or phrasing, could also give away AI voice cloning.
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Other AI warning signs include the caller resisting a long conversation, or acting with urgency to complete their desired transaction (8). The FTC adds that even caller IDs can be faked (4).
Experts advise never sharing any personal information or money over the phone or via digital communication — as real government agencies and law enforcement never request it in that manner — and never clicking on any links or attachments a potential fraudster sends.
If you do suspect fraud, end communication and research the contact information for the government agency or individual that reached out. Then, get in touch using the information you found — or call the agencies or law enforcement directly — to see if the initial contact was real. Even if you're convinced that a transaction is legitimate and you want to proceed, heed the advice of professionals.
In the case of the Chicago man who lost $69,000, the Bank of America — the victim's financial institution — told CBS Chicago that while they "prioritize client protection" some of their customers "ignore our warnings and insist on completing the transactions" (1).
If you do discover you were targeted for fraud, report it to the agency the fraudster claimed to represent, or to the FTC.
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
CBS News (1); FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (2),(3),(7); Federal Trade Commission (4); 13News Now (5); The Washington Post (6); University of Virginia (8)
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Mike Crisolago is a Sr. Staff Reporter at Moneywise with nearly 20 years of experience working as a journalist, editor, content strategist and podcast host. He specializes in personal finance writing related to the 50-plus demographic and retirement, as well as politics and lifestyle content.
