Scammers are using AI to make phone fraud increasingly convincing, with authorities across several states warning that voice-cloning technology can allow criminals to impersonate relatives, public figures and, in some cases, even law enforcement officials.
The warnings have taken on new urgency in Florida, where the Osceola County Sheriff's Office says scammers have cloned the voice of one of its captains while carrying out an impersonation scheme involving supposed arrest warrants and missed jury duty.
Newsweek has identified warnings or cases involving AI voice-cloning scams in Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas, California, Arizona, Michigan and New York.
Florida
The latest case comes from Osceola County, where scammers allegedly cloned the voice of Captain Steve Moser and used his photograph while contacting potential victims, according to local media.
Sheriff Chris Blackmon said the fraudsters were posing as Moser in calls linked to claims that recipients had missed jury duty or faced an arrest warrant. He told News 6, "They cloned his voice and was using Steve's picture as well to say it was him making the phone call, and it was not."
The sheriff told Fox 35 Orlando, "It's his voice, his face. If you go look it up, you say, it could be him talking, but the entire thing's AI."
The sheriff's office estimates it has encountered about 40 cases of scammers impersonating law enforcement this year alone.
Captain Kimberley Montes, the director of public information and community relations at the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, confirmed to Newsweek that Moser was "impersonated via calls to try and scam people," adding that they were first alerted after seeing a post on Nextdoor, a social networking platform focused on local neighborhoods and communities.
They shared a post on social media alerting residents in the area.
Kentucky
In March, the FBI in Louisville, Kentucky, warned residents that it had seen an increase in fraud targeting Kentuckians through calls from people impersonating law-enforcement and government officials.
The FBI said the most prevalent variation involved scammers pretending to represent local sheriff's offices and falsely claiming that victims had missed jury duty or a court appearance. It specifically warned that "scammers may also use Artificial Intelligence (AI)" to make their impersonation appear more legitimate.
The agency said that 475 government-impersonation complaints from Kentucky were submitted to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2025, with reported losses exceeding $3.15 million.
North Carolina
In North Carolina, the Durham County Sheriff's Office issued a warning in April after a resident received a fake letter, while speaking to the scammer on the phone, that claimed they owed $30,000 for failing to appear in federal court.
The department cautioned residents that fraudsters are now using AI and voice cloning to mimic voices, warning that "even if a caller sounds like a local official or someone you may know, always hang up and call the agency back at a publicly listed number."
Texas
The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office reported a sharp increase in telephone scams in August 2025 involving demands for money to avoid arrest over nonexistent warrants.
The department said scammers had used the name of a legitimate sheriff's office employee and told residents that warrants had been issued over failure to appear for federal jury summonses. Its warning advised residents to be suspicious if "a caller or recording such as an AI voice" uses high-pressure tactics.
California
California Department of Justice officials have also warned about AI-powered impersonation.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a consumer alert in May 2024 warning that sophisticated AI technology can clone a person's voice using audio found online. The department said scammers can combine cloned voices with personal information gathered from the internet to make their stories appear credible.
The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation reiterated the threat in guidance updated in July 2026, identifying voice cloning among techniques used in AI-enabled impersonation scams.
Arizona
The Arizona Attorney General's Office warned residents about AI voice-cloning scams in July 2025.
The alert said criminals could combine voice cloning with caller-ID spoofing and audio obtained online to imitate people, including friends, relatives, celebrities and elected officials. Officials advised people receiving emergency requests for money to independently contact the person supposedly calling them.
Michigan
Michigan's consumer protection authorities have similarly warned that scammers can collect audio posted online and use AI to clone a person's voice.
The state's guidance says fraudsters may then impersonate that person in a telephone call, including scenarios in which they claim to be in serious trouble and urgently request money.
New York
The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection has issued guidance warning residents about both voice-cloning and deepfake scams.
The department says scammers can manipulate videos and recordings available through social media to create realistic voices and footage, allowing them to impersonate a victim's friends or relatives and seek money or personal information.
A Growing National Problem
The voice-cloning threat sits within a much larger problem involving government impersonation fraud.
In June, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned Americans about calls from scammers pretending to be U.S. Marshals or local police officers. Victims are told they missed jury duty and could be arrested unless they make a payment, sometimes accompanied by official-looking fake warrant documents. Newsweek has contacted the FTC for comment.
Separately, the FBI Louisville Field Office reported that the FBI's IC3 received 39,949 government-impersonation complaints nationwide in 2025, resulting in reported losses of more than $833 million. That figure covers government impersonation scams generally and is not limited to those involving AI or voice cloning.
Newsweek's reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Shakeema Edwards.