Florida police say scammers used AI to clone sheriff's voice in jury duty scam

Osceola County sheriff warns residents after cloned voicemail demands payment for missed jury duty or warrants

By LineZotpaper

Published20 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Police in Osceola County, Florida, say scammers used artificial intelligence to clone Sheriff Steve Moser's voice, leaving voicemails that trick residents into believing they have missed jury duty or face an arrest warrant. The scam is part of a growing trend of AI voice cloning used to impersonate law enforcement across multiple states.

Sheriff Chris Blackmon told local outlet News6 that the scammers used both a voice clone and a photo of Sheriff Moser to make the call appear legitimate. "They cloned his voice and was using Steve's picture as well to say it was him making the phone call, and it was not," Blackmon said. The Osceola County sheriff's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Impersonating a police officer is a third-degree felony in Florida. In the last week, similar jury duty and arrest warrant scams have been reported in Georgia and Pennsylvania. While those other reports do not explicitly mention AI voice cloning, they note that the scammers sometimes have voices and tones similar to local police officers.

Voice cloning scams have been circulating for years, with scammers using commercially available AI tools to target the elderly, families, and businesses. In February, scammers cloned the voice of a managing partner of a law firm, leading a private bank to transfer $108 million. 404 Media has previously documented real-time deepfake scams that combine voice and video to defraud victims.

Analysis

Why This Matters

AI voice cloning erodes trust in phone communication, making it harder for people to verify who is calling.
The impersonation of law enforcement adds emotional pressure, increasing the likelihood of victims paying fraudulent fines.
As tools become cheaper and more realistic, the financial and psychological toll on individuals and businesses is expected to grow.

Background

AI voice cloning scams have become more common as commercial voice synthesis tools have improved and become widely available. Scammers often impersonate authority figures such as police, company executives, or family members to demand urgent payments. The Osceola County case follows a pattern seen in other jurisdictions where scammers use local law enforcement details to appear credible.

Key Perspectives

Law Enforcement (Sheriff Chris Blackmon): Warns the public that the scammers are using advanced techniques, including cloned voices and photos, and urges residents to verify calls by contacting the sheriff's office directly. Scammers: Exploit the authority of police and the trust victims place in recorded messages, leveraging urgency (missed jury duty, warrants) to extract payments. Security Experts and Advocates: Point out that detecting AI-cloned voices requires careful attention and that broader public education and technical countermeasures are needed.

What to Watch

Whether other police departments in Florida and neighboring states issue similar warnings and investigate links to the same scam network.
Potential legislative responses, such as requiring disclosure when AI voice generation is used in robocalls.
The evolution of detection tools, including voice authentication and call verification systems.

Sources

Police Say Scammers Used AI to Clone a Sheriff’s Voice · 404 Media

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 7 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedHeadline: Florida police say scammers used AI to clone a sheriff's voice in a jury duty scam404 Media: “A Florida police department claims that scammers used AI to clone a sheriff’s voice”
Not in the sourcesSummary: cloned voicemail demands payment for missed jury duty or warrants404 Media: “trick people into thinking they’ve missed jury duty or have a warrant out for their arrest”
SupportedPolice in Osceola County say scammers used AI to clone Sheriff Steve Moser's voice404 Media: “scammers cloned Osceola County Sheriff Steve Moser’s voice”
Partly supportedThe scam leaves voicemails that trick residents into believing they missed jury duty or face an arrest warrant404 Media: “left a voicemail with a resident”
Partly supportedThe scam is part of a growing trend of AI voice cloning used to impersonate law enforcement across multiple states404 Media: “These other reports don’t mention AI voice cloning explicitly”
SupportedSheriff Chris Blackmon: "They cloned his voice and was using Steve's picture as well to say it was him making the phone call, and it was not."404 Media: ““They cloned his voice and was using Steve’s picture as well to say it was him making the phone call, and it was not,” Sheriff Chris Blackmon told News6.”
Partly supportedThe Osceola County sheriff's office did not respond to a request for comment404 Media: “The Osceola County sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.”
SupportedImpersonating a police officer is a third-degree felony in Florida404 Media: “Impersonating a police officer is a third-degree felony in Florida.”
SupportedSimilar jury duty and arrest warrant scams have been reported in Georgia and Pennsylvania in the last week404 Media: “reports of jury duty and arrest warrant scams targeting people in Georgia and Pennsylvania in the last week”
SupportedThe Georgia and Pennsylvania reports do not explicitly mention AI voice cloning, but say scammers sometimes have voices and tones similar to local police404 Media: “These other reports don’t mention AI voice cloning explicitly, but note that the scammers sometimes have similar voices and tones as local police officers.”
Partly supportedIn February, scammers cloned the voice of a managing partner of a law firm, leading a private bank to transfer $108 million404 Media: “In February, scammers cloned a managing partner of a law firm with AI. Ultimately, a private bank ended up transferring $108 million.”
Supported404 Media has previously documented real-time deepfake scams that combine voice and video to defraud victims404 Media: “Last year, 404 Media investigated real-time deepfake scams that incorporated voice and video to defraud people.”