Woman Loses Money After Talking to Caller Claiming to Be Her Daughter – Details

A woman in Hillsborough County thought she was helping her daughter in a crisis. Instead, she opened the door to strangers — and handed over her savings.

A Hillsborough County woman is sharing her story, revealing that she was tricked into handing over $15,000 after receiving a disturbing phone call that mimicked her daughter's voice using artificial intelligence.

Sharon Brightwell said the call came last Wednesday from a number matching her daughter's contact. On the other end, a young woman sobbed, claiming she had been in a car crash. "When I picked up the phone, it was my daughter's voice,” Brightwell said. "It was her crying voice, she was hysterical."

Brightwell believed the voice without question. She said no one could have convinced her it wasn't her daughter. The caller claimed she had hit a pregnant woman while texting and driving. She said her phone had been taken by police.

Moments later, a man joined the call. He claimed to be an attorney representing Brightwell’s daughter. He said she was in custody and needed $15,000 for bail — cash only. According to Brightwell, the man gave her detailed instructions. He warned her not to mention the reason for the withdrawal to bank staff, saying it could damage her daughter's credit.

Following the instructions, Brightwell withdrew the money and waited at her Dover home for someone claiming to be a "legal courier." When the person arrived, she handed over the package. "When I saw them pull off, I had the most sick feeling in my stomach," she said.

The calls didn't stop after the initial payment. Brightwell said she soon received a second call. This time, the man on the line claimed the pregnant woman had lost the baby. He added that the family — described as "Christian people" — would drop any legal action if another $30,000 was provided.

That moment triggered concern from her grandson. At the time, he was speaking to a family friend and relayed what was happening. The friend called Brightwell immediately — but with her real daughter on the line. "I screamed," Brightwell said. "When I heard her voice, I broke down. She was fine. She was still at work."

The family now believes scammers used content from social media to create the fake voice. Video clips and posts may have helped the fraudsters clone her daughter's tone and speech. "I pray this doesn't happen to anyone else," she said. "My husband and I are recently retired. That money was our savings."

To help others avoid similar traps, the family is advising people to set up a private code word to confirm identities during emergencies. "If they can't give it to you," Brightwell said, "hang up and call them directly." Following the incident, a report has been filed with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Brightwell’s daughter, April Monroe, is now speaking out through a GoFundMe campaign launched to help recover the stolen funds. So far, the fundraiser has collected $7,000.

In her post, Monroe explained how AI was used to mimic her voice, describing the call as so convincing. When the scam unfolded, Monroe was at her clinical site in Carrollwood, unaware of what was happening.

"Unfortunately, it was too late for the first chunk of money already given to these poor excuses for human beings,” Monroe wrote.

Just days after Brightwell shared her story, another Hillsborough County woman said she narrowly avoided becoming the next victim of the same AI-powered scheme — and on the same day.

Karen Bush said she was watching the news when she realized the story sounded eerily familiar. The same day Brightwell was targeted, Bush had received a disturbing phone call of her own.

On the line was a young woman, crying and calling her “Mom.” She said she had been in a car crash. A man claiming to be a police officer then joined the call, giving what sounded like official information, including a badge number and a case reference.

According to Bush, the caller said her daughter had struck a pregnant woman and was in custody. Bail had already been set at $15,000. Believing the situation was real, Bush headed to her bank to withdraw the money. But before she could complete the transaction, a bank employee grew suspicious and warned her it could be a scam.

The teller urged her to contact her daughter immediately. Bush called her son-in-law, who passed the phone to her daughter — alive, well, and completely unaware of the situation. That's when the reality sank in. "I knew I'd been had," Bush said.