Monterey County DA staff warn of phone and AI-enabled impersonation scams, urge fast reporting

Monterey County District Attorney staff warned residents that scammers are increasingly impersonating banks, government officials and even relatives — sometimes using AI to clone voices — and urged swift reporting to law enforcement.

"One of the best things to do if you're contacted unexpectedly ... is to ask who's calling you, ask for that person's name, ask for that person's title, and then you independently can figure out the contact information for that agency," said Emily Hickok of the DA's office, urging callers to hang up and call the agency directly.

Investigator Justin Bell described how quickly scammers move funds and the importance of early reporting. "The longer the money has been out of your account, it drops off very quickly the likelihood of any sort of recovery," he said, adding that scammers commonly move funds through multiple accounts, wire transfers overseas or convert them to cryptocurrency.

Both speakers noted technical tools that make impersonation easier. "With as little as 5 to 30 seconds of audio, they can use AI to modulate their voice to sound the same way that you or I are speaking right now," Bell said, calling the development a growing risk. Hickok and Bell recommended checking trusted resources such as the Federal Trade Commission, the IRS and FBI scam pages and to report incidents promptly to local police or the DA's consumer protection unit.

The DA team emphasized skepticism of urgent demands for payment, independent verification of a caller's identity, and prompt reporting to increase the chance of recovery.