Local woman falls prey to sophisticated AI scam on Valentine's Day

In a distressing incident on Feb. 14, a local woman, Valerie Thruelsen, became the latest victim of a sophisticated scam operation, leveraging artificial intelligence to exploit the trust and financial resources of unsuspecting individuals.

The scam unfolded over the course of the day, five hours to be exact. It involved a series of phone calls that manipulated her into believing her granddaughter was in legal and medical jeopardy following a car accident, which was said to have been her fault.

Thruelsen said, “I got a telephone call which sounded exactly like my granddaughter’s voice. She was...