May 30

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AI Cloned His Grandson’s Voice

It didn't take long. I am completely in love with this kitten. I am committed to getting this thing bonded to me. My wife has a supernatural ability to get pets to like her. She has a train of dogs and cats following her at all times. Therefore, I am not letting her near Stinky. She can't hold, feed, or love on her in any way. I feed Stinky, play with her, and hold her. I woke up last night and she was sleeping on my forehead.

I bought an Xbox gaming system so I could play with my boys. I want to bond with them on their level with something they're interested in. Nowadays, the way this stuff is structured is ridiculous. When I was a kid, you would all sit in front of a TV and play together. Now you each need your own screen, and the internet allows you to all be in the same game. We were literally in four different rooms, on four different TVs, playing in the same world. That just doesn't seem healthy.

Concerning news on the orchid front. Several of my plants have contracted black rot, an aggressive and deadly fungus that can devastate entire collections. I have separated all the sick plants and cut off the diseased parts. I've treated them with a strong fungicide. I think I saved most of them.



The Call That Shook Them: A Wake-Up Call About AI Scams

The other day, I had a pretty shocking conversation with some clients. What they told me left me stunned, and it’s a warning I think we all need to hear.

It started with a phone call from their grandson, Dan. He lives in New York City and mostly keeps to himself. That’s why what he said hit so hard.

"Grandma, I’ve been arrested. They’re taking me to jail. I need your help," he pleaded.

"What?!" she cried. "What do you need? What can we do?"

"If I don’t get bail money, I’m going to jail," Dan said, and then handed the phone over to someone claiming to be his lawyer.

"Ma’am," the man said, calm and professional, "we need $18,000 in cash. If the bank teller asks, just say you’re buying a used car. But we have to move quickly, within the next few hours."

Panic set in. Grandma and Grandpa rushed to the bank, withdrew the cash, and headed home. The whole situation felt off, but Dan had called. They’d heard his voice. What choice did they have?

As they drove, Grandpa decided to call Dan’s cell phone directly, just to be sure.
"Don’t!" Grandma warned. "The lawyer said not to!"

But he called anyway. Dan picked up on the second ring.

"Hey Grandpa! Everything okay?"

"Wait… you’re not in jail?" Grandpa asked.

"In jail? I’m at home watching TV," Dan said, confused.

And just like that, the pieces clicked. The call they received wasn’t from their grandson. It was an AI-generated voice clone. It sounded exactly like Dan. Same tone. Same inflection. And it fooled them completely.

This is real. This is happening. And it’s terrifying.

Looking back, the red flags were there: the urgency, the secrecy, the lie to the bank teller. But how do you ignore the voice of someone you love?

Scammers are getting more sophisticated by the day. Voice cloning is already here. Video deepfakes are next. Soon, you may see a loved one in a video call asking for help, only it’s not really them.

So what can you do?


•Don’t rush. Scammers create a sense of urgency to get you to stop thinking. Pause. Breathe. Think it through.
•Verify independently. If a loved one calls in crisis, hang up and call them directly on a number you know.
•Don’t trust caller ID. It can be spoofed.
•Watch out for emails, texts, and links. If you get an email or text about a computer virus, bank info, or a DocuSign request, be skeptical.
•Check the sender’s email address. Scam emails often come from bizarre addresses like: reza.clalucyadkdia6@gmail.com
•Don’t click attachments. Just don’t.
•Install protection. I recommend Malwarebytes. They offer a free version, and it protects you from much of what’s out there.


These scams aren’t going away. In fact, they’re only getting smarter. Stay aware, stay cautious, and always verify information before taking action.

And who knows… maybe this whole newsletter was written by AI.

Then again, maybe I’m just Dave trying to help you stay safe in a crazy world.

Be Blessed,

Dave


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