Jace Edgar said he answered a call from an unknown number with a 409 area code and heard what he believed was his sister in distress.
PORT NECHES, Texas — A Port Neches man is sounding the alarm after receiving a frightening phone call that used artificial intelligence to clone his sister’s voice in a scam attempt.
Jace Edgar said he answered a call from an unknown number with a 409 area code and heard what he believed was his sister in distress.
“She said she had been in an accident and she needed help… so I immediately got in my truck and started moving,” Edgar told 12News.
What began as an ordinary day quickly turned into panic for the Edgar family. The voice on the other end called him by name and referred to him as “brother,” leading him to believe the call was genuine.
“100% I believed it was her,” Edgar said. “It sounded just like her.”
But the voice wasn’t his sister. It was an artificial intelligence-generated imitation used by a scammer. Edgar said the call soon became suspicious when the person on the line stopped responding directly to his questions.
“Every time I ask a question and don’t get an answer, they act like they can’t hear me. So after this went on two minutes, I went ahead and hung up and called Jayla personally,” he said.
His sister answered, unharmed and unaware of the situation.
Corey Kneeland with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office said the incident is part of a growing trend in AI-powered scams.
“We operate in reality. And so when AI starts to imitate and copy reality, we are having a harder time distinguishing between what is true and false,” Kneeland said.
He advises people to remain vigilant and protect their personal information.
“Never release information over the phone unless you are absolutely 100% sure you know who you’re talking to,” Kneeland said.
Even after confirming his sister’s safety, Edgar said the scammer called back. This time, he had a warning of his own.
“The police are on their way, you better hope I don’t get there first,” he recalled saying.
Kneeland noted that unless an actual crime is committed, there is often little law enforcement can do. He emphasized that the best defense is to avoid answering calls from unknown numbers.
As AI voice cloning scams become increasingly sophisticated, local officials hope Edgar’s experience will serve as a cautionary tale for others in Southeast Texas.
