Elderly Russian-Speaking Israeli Woman Loses Savings in AI Voice Scam at Home

An elderly woman who immigrated from the former Soviet Union lost her entire savings of 50,000 shekels in a sophisticated scam involving AI-generated voice imitation. The scammer impersonated a delivery person sent by the victim's daughter and played a fake voice recording, convincing the woman to hand over her money and jewelry under the pretense of a National Insurance investigation. The victim's granddaughter, content creator Maya Dror, recounted in an interview how the scammer gained her grandmother's trust by calling in Russian and mimicking her daughter's voice precisely.

Dror explained that the scam began with a phone call from someone claiming to be from the National Insurance Institute, speaking Russian instead of Hebrew as usual, and referencing a legitimate overtime form the grandmother had submitted. The scammer then pretended to put the daughter on the line, using AI to replicate her voice, instructing the grandmother to give the valuables to a supposed representative who soon arrived at the door.

This case is part of a wider troubling trend targeting mainly elderly Russian-speaking Israelis who often struggle with bureaucratic systems. After sharing the story on social media, Dror received hundreds of similar reports, highlighting the prevalence of such scams. Victims frequently feel deep psychological shame, which discourages them from reporting the crimes. Dror shared her grandmother's painful reflection: "She said she was ashamed to have reached her age after a respectable life and still be scammed like this."

The Israel Police confirmed that an investigation has been launched following the complaint, with all necessary steps being taken to uncover the truth, but declined to provide further details due to the ongoing nature of the case.