WARNING: AI Voice Cloning and Virtual Kidnappings

**Brit Prawat** (0:00)
Hi, Crime Junkies, it's Brit. And I have big news. One of my favorite seasonal shows, Counter Clock, is back with a brand new season. And it is wild. Host Delia D'Ambra is digging into the 2008 Lane Bryant murders. I mean, this isn't just a recap, it is a re-investigation. She's talking to law enforcement, people from the community, even sources who have never spoken publicly until now. And you know I love a show that asks all the questions. Listen to Counter Clock season eight now, wherever you get your podcasts.

**Ashley Flowers** (0:30)
Hi Crime Junkies, I'm your host Ashley Flowers. And the story I have for you today is one that I want you to listen to every single second of. Because by the time it's over, you're going to want to call every person you love and do one simple thing that could save you from one of the most terrifying experiences imaginable. This is about something that's happening right now to real people. And as technology gets more advanced, so do the criminals looking to exploit it. Lots of people have no idea that this is even possible. And the real unsettling part, how cheap and accessible the tools to do this actually are, and how fast they're evolving. This is the story about how hearing the voice of someone you love could be the beginning of a nightmare, and what you can do to fight back.
Jennifer DeStefano is one of those moms who's always on the move. She and her husband have four kids in close age, and most weekends, that means splitting up just to keep up. So on this particular late Friday afternoon, January 20th, 2023, while Jennifer is in Scottsdale, Arizona, swinging by their 13-year-old daughter's dance studio to pick her up after a lesson, her husband is about 150 miles north in the mountains with their youngest son and their 15-year-old daughter, Brianna, so she can do some training for ski races. Now, Jennifer is getting out of her car in the studio parking lot when her phone rings. It's an unknown number and she almost lets it go to voicemail, but unknown calls can be from hospitals. And with Brianna on a mountain, it's too risky to ignore it, so she picks up. And it is Brianna on the line, but she's crying, barely holding it together. And she tells Jennifer, Mom, I messed up.
Now, Jennifer doesn't panic. She's thinking that maybe Brianna got hurt skiing, so she's like, you know, it's okay, Bri, calm down. What's going on? What's wrong? And then she hears a man's voice cut in, telling Brianna to lay down and put her head back. And then suddenly she hears her daughter cry out, Mom, these bad men have me, help me, help me. And then the man fully takes the phone and he tells Jennifer that he has her daughter. And if she calls the police or breathes a word of this to anyone, they will never see her again because he is going to drug her, sexually assault her and leave her for dead in Mexico.
She can barely hear what he's saying because all she can focus on is her daughter in the background yelling and pleading until her voice goes muffled like she's being pulled away from the phone. Jennifer is shaking as she pushes through the dance studio doors. Now she keeps the man on speakerphone, mutes herself so he can't hear her and she screams for help. And other moms gather fast. One rushes outside to call 911 while the rest surround Jennifer and listen as the caller makes threat after horrifying threat. And Jennifer begs to speak to her daughter again. But the man won't put her back on the phone. He's doing all of the talking now. And what he wants in exchange for Brianna's life is staggering.
One million dollars.
Jennifer is willing to agree to anything right now. But once she starts questioning how she's supposed to get him all that money, the guy starts doing the math in his head and he decides on his own, that there's no way she's going to be able to come up with that much money because he wants cash only and he's not going to give her time to get it together. So he makes this quick decision to give her a discount. He'll take $50,000 instead. And he's adamant, he's not willing to mess with wire transfers or routing numbers. All that stuff is way too traceable. So this is the plan. He says she needs to get the 50 grand together and then he's going to come pick her up in a white van. She'll get in, he'll put a bag over her head, and then he'll bring her to some undisclosed place to exchange the money for Brianna. And he warns Jennifer, she better have every dollar on her when he gets there.