Men posing as sheriff's deputies told a Florida finance manager on 21 July that she had missed federal jury duty and that a judge had signed a warrant for her arrest. She spent nearly 10 hours driving alone and feeding $25,000 (£18,500) into cryptocurrency machines to pay the bail.
The chain broke when her husband put a question to ChatGPT. Kimberly Fudge, 38, had texted Jonathan asking for money with no questions asked, wording the caller dictated. He sent $3,000 (£2,200). A second request followed, and this time he stopped and asked the chatbot why a spouse would make such a demand. It listed ordinary explanations, then flagged a possible scam. He called 911 rather than his wife because she wasn't telling him anything, as the callers had ordered her not to speak to anyone.
