Police warned West County residents about scams that use cloned family members’ voices to demand money during a Sept. 30 town hall at Ballwin Golf Club.
About 40 people attended the meeting on Holloway Road, hosted by St. Louis County Councilmember Mark Harder (R-District 7). Officers from the Ballwin, Eureka, Ellisville, Manchester and St. Louis County police departments discussed crime trends, vehicle thefts and fraud targeting seniors, asfirst reported by West News Magazine.
Eureka Police Chief Mike Werges described AI-generated kidnapping scams in which criminals clone a loved one's voice, claim the person has been in an accident or is being held for ransom, and pressure victims to send money without hanging up.
"They want to keep you on the phone," Werges said. "They want to keep you thinking in fight-or-flight mode."
Officers advised families to establish a safe word to verify a loved one's identity over the phone. Werges also urged residents to pause before acting on urgent money requests, verify callers independently and contact their bank or local police if they suspect fraud. Police will never call and threaten arrest, he said.
Werges stressed keeping communication open with older relatives, who may hesitate to report being scammed. Victims can lose tens of thousands of dollars, he said. His advice: when in doubt, hang up.
