This scam was being done years before AI voice cloning was possible (it's called a "grandparent scam") and so far I have not seen evidence that such technology

This scam was being done years before AI voice cloning was possible (it's called a "grandparent scam") and so far I have not seen evidence that such technology is being used. The victims claim it was exactly like their relative's voice, but victims were saying the same thing two decades ago. The attorney mentioned in the article testified that his "son" was sobbing and claimed to have had his nose broken in the accident. Most people are not going to be able to confidently tell apart even a loved one's voice from someone around the same age if they're crying, screaming, being distorted by the phone transmission, etc. I think it's possible that scams like this could be done with voice cloning, don't get me wrong, but it's not necessary. It's probably good that people are alert to the risk of these scams, regardless.