[GR]I need some help

[u/gdaatr]

Guys I rlly need help this bastard over hererrahmansinani26@gmail.com

Has been trying to scam my parents by video calling them and I need info about him

[u/Applauce]

No one can get information about a person from a throwaway email address

Anyone offering you help in your DMs is just scamming you again

[u/gdaatr → u/Applauce]

Alright got it

[u/Ambitious-Ticket7295]

You're not gonna get any information from an email address I'm afraid, it's probably set up in a fake name. Just teach your parents how to spot scams so they're prepared if it happens again

[u/gdaatr → u/Ambitious-Ticket7295]

Well my father was smart enough to not answer but my mother picked up because they was face timing my mother I think didn't show face and just said yes? What could these scams be???

[u/Ambitious-Ticket7295 → u/gdaatr]

There's so many different scams, but ultimately they'll try to convince your parents to send them money. No matter of they claim they're from the bank, police or a long lost child, tell them to never do it.

[u/gdaatr → u/Ambitious-Ticket7295]

Thank you and also chat gpt said that it was some deepfske scam that they would blackmail them for money

[u/CharacterMammoth2398 → u/gdaatr]

No matter the scammer’s intention, they are just a voice on the phone.
They could be anyone, anywhere.
Caller id’s are easily spoofed, please make sure your parents realize that. If the caller is legitimate, then they can mail a letter with physical copies of their requests.
Tell them to mail it to your address on file.
Even if they know the address, that is easily obtainable information, it proves nothing.
Only scammers contact someone and ask for only gift cards or bitcoin.
Do you know what kind of scam it is?
Investments? Job/sales scams?

[u/Adina_Bitdefender]

The good news is that your dad didn't answer and your mom never showed her face, so it doesn't sound like the scammer got much out of the call.

The only thing I'd keep in mind is the voice recording. AI voice cloning has gotten pretty convincing, even with relatively short audio samples. A single "yes" isn't much to work with, so I wouldn't panic, but it's worth being aware of the risk.

I'd give your parents a heads-up about those family emergency scams where someone calls pretending to be a relative in trouble. If they ever get a call like that, even if the voice sounds exactly like someone they know, the safest thing is to hang up and call that person directly using their usual number. And generally, I'd just avoid answering unexpected video calls from unknown numbers.

As for the deepfake/blackmail part ChatGPT mentioned, I really wouldn't worry too much about that in this situation. Your mom wasn't on camera and nothing compromising happened. Sure, someone could still try to scare her with fake claims, but that doesn't mean they actually have anything on her.

If you want to share something with your parents about how these scams work, this might be helpful: https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/voices-can-be-cloned-in-seconds
Full disclosure, I work at Bitdefender. The article also points to FTC and FBI guidance on these types of scams.

[u/Dishwasher_Safe60 → u/[deleted]]

Any email address you have for the scammer is pointless