{
  "id": 8206745,
  "title": "Greece: Police bust gang using AI to clone relatives' voices for cash",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/greece-police-bust-gang-using-ai-to-clone-relatives-voices-for-cash",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-18T08:07:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euronews",
    "slug": "euronews",
    "url": "https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/09/18/greece-police-bust-gang-using-ai-to-clone-relatives-voices-for-cash"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Greece, law enforcement has dismantled a criminal organization that utilized artificial intelligence to clone the voices of relatives, enabling phone scams to appear more authentic. The Directorate for Combating Organized Crime apprehended two suspects in Nea Ionia, Attica, who were allegedly involved in the organization's activities. The gang is accused of defrauding citizens by posing as representatives of various entities, such as Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, mobile phone companies, and fiber-optic service providers. They would convince victims to speak with a trusted individual, often requesting their phone number and subsequently using voice-cloning technology to create an imitation of that person's voice. The gang's operations reportedly began in early July 2026, with victims in five more incidents corroborating the use of similar tactics. The organization's estimated illegal earnings exceed 1 million euros, and searches have led to the seizure of a public-use vehicle and two mobile phones. Police emphasize the vulnerability of citizens to such scams, urging them to maintain caution and verify the identities of callers through alternative means, such as contacting known relatives directly.",
  "summary": "According to the police, the organisation’s illegal proceeds from its activities are estimated to exceed 1 million euros.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}