Fake Surgeon and AI Scam: How Belgrade Pensioners Nearly Lost €97 Over a Fake Daughter’s Surgery
Imagine this: an elderly couple from Belgrade, aged 83 and 85, receives a call that nearly ruins their day – or better said, nearly empties their wallet! A fake surgeon, using a voice generated by artificial intelligence, tried to extort €97 from them for an urgent surgery for their daughter. Yes, you read that right – €97! But this isn’t your average scam; it’s the tip of the iceberg of sophisticated AI scams that are coming for us all.
How Did It Start?
On June 28, the elderly couple received a call on their landline. A male voice, sounding like a real surgeon, introduced himself as a doctor from the emergency center. He said their daughter had a serious accident – hit by a pedestrian on a crosswalk, with three leg fractures and a dislocated jaw. The voice claimed an urgent surgery was necessary to avoid leg amputation, requiring special golden screws from Germany costing €97.
To make matters worse, the fake surgeon even put the daughter on the phone, begging her parents for help. The father at one point suspected a scam, but the call was abruptly cut off. Later, the daughter confirmed it was a scam, likely carried out using AI technology.
How Do Scammers Use AI?
Lazar Jovanović, chief digital and AI officer at Represent System, reveals that scammers today can steal your voice using just a few seconds of audio. Whether it’s a clip from social media, a YouTube interview, or even voicemail, AI voice cloning tools analyze tone, accent, and intonation to generate realistic sentences a person never said.
Most scams involve fake family members or business partners urgently asking for money due to alleged dangers or being stranded abroad. The emotional shock and realistic voice often cause people to react impulsively.
How to Protect Yourself?
Jovanović advises several simple steps anyone can take:
- Limit public availability of your voice and images online.
- Use private profiles on social media.
- Introduce a control word or family code for emergencies.
- Enable two-factor authentication wherever possible.
- Never share personal data over phone or email unless you are sure who is on the other side.
Spotting the Scam!
Common signs include:
- Urgency and pressure to send money immediately.
- Emotional manipulation.
- Illogical language, grammatical errors, or unnatural tone.
- Calls from unknown numbers or emails from suspicious addresses.
If someone asks you to install an app or click a link, be extra cautious – these are often phishing attempts.
Why Does This Matter?
This case is not isolated. Police have had similar reports, and such scams happen in Italy, Spain, and Croatia. The main targets are elderly people, who are more vulnerable.
So next time your phone rings and someone says your daughter is in trouble, use your brain before your wallet. And if you have any hilarious stories about similar calls, share them – maybe you’ll save someone’s money or even life!
Who knows what AI scammers will come up with next? Fake grandmas asking for money for medicine? Or fake granddaughters begging for urgent transfers? Stay alert and don’t get fooled!
