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Rubio to deliver urgent plea to save Western civilization during speech in its birthplace
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will deliver a speech in Greece on Wednesday calling for the renewal of Western civilization and urging allies to join the United States in rejecting the decline of the West.
The renewal of the West has been a theme during Rubio's tenure at the helm of the State Department. He has often railed against what he views as an erosion of the values upon which Western civilization was built.
And his speech Wednesday will build on that. The remarks will commence at 11:30 a.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. local time in Greece, and is set in the ancient ruins of the citadel Acropolis.
"Secretary Rubio will deliver an address from the birthplace of Western civilization, where he will call upon Americans and Europeans alike to join together in a great renewal of the Western spirit - an inheritance stretching from Athens and Rome to Christendom to the founding of the American Republic," Dylan Johnson, the State Department's assistant secretary for global public affairs, told Fox News Digital.
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"Against the backdrop of the Acropolis, Secretary Rubio will look to the history of ancient Greece as the first full expression of the qualities that would come to define the West: curiosity, courage, ambition, and a restless spirit of exploration and discovery of the unknown," Johnson added.
"He will warn that too much of our civilization has forgotten these essential qualities and urge our allies across the West to join the United States in rejecting decline, defending our shared heritage, and confronting a new era of great-power competition together."
During his visit, Rubio announced a new counterterrorism partnership between the U.S. and Greece.
He emphasized the strategic importance of Greece on Wednesday, calling it a "source of stability in an unstable world."
"As you see a world that faces these destabilizing events, you recognize how important this alliance with Greece is to the United States," Rubio said. "It is a source of stability in an unstable world."
At the Munich Security Conference in Germany in February, Rubio delivered a speech on the topic that earned him a standing ovation from European leaders, and racked up millions of views online. One popular X user described it as "one of the greatest" speeches by a Secretary of State in decades.
Many others insisted the speech upped Rubio's potential 2028 presidential chances.
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Rubio described that the for the five centuries before the end of World War II, the West had expanded across the globe, building "vast empires." But, he said, after the war, Europe was in ruins, and "godless communist revolutions" in Europe caused people to believe that the West's dominance was forever finished.
"Against that backdrop, then, as now, many came to believe that the West's age of dominance had come to an end, and that our future was destined to be a faint and feeble echo of our past. But together, our predecessors recognized that decline was a choice, and it was a choice they refused to make," he said.
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Rubio urged the European leaders to reinvigorate that spirit.
"This is why we do not want out allies to be shackled by guilt and shame," he continued. "We want allies that are proud of our culture and our heritage, and understand that we are heirs to the same great and noble civilization and who together with us, are willing and able to defend it."
"And this is why we don't want allies to rationalize the broken status quo, rather than what is necessary to reckon with what is necessary to fix it. For we in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West's managed decline. We do not seek to separate, but to revitalize an old friendship and renew the greatest civilization in human history."
DHS orders deportation of illegal migrant who sold fraudulent DHS, FBI 'immunity' cards
FIRST ON FOX: A Brazilian illegal immigrant who admitted to creating a fake branch of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and selling counterfeit DHS and FBI identification cards — which he claimed would provide immunity from federal immigration officers — has been ordered deported.
Mario Cesar Dos Santos, Jr., 50, who entered the United States in 2016 and overstayed his visa, is currently in removal proceedings, according to DHS. He was arrested in February at Orlando International Airport after arriving on a flight from Boston.
Dos Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and the fraudulent use of government seals.
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As part of the scheme, Dos Santos claimed to be the president of the "Chaplain Emergency Management Agency" (CEMA), a fictitious federal agency he created to trick attendees at training seminars into paying for immunity from immigration enforcement.
While the training courses were offered for free, participants were charged $400 to $450 for bogus certificates they believed would protect them from deportation, authorities said. Each seminar drew approximately 30 to 45 participants.
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In addition to the counterfeit certificates, Dos Santos sold clothing, badges, stickers and other merchandise bearing official seals for DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — the agency responsible for coordinating federal responses to natural and human-made disasters.
A confidential informant purchased several of these items at a training seminar last year, according to authorities.
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The CEMA website, its social media accounts, and a group chat — which had more than 750 members when the investigation launched in August 2025 — actively promoted upcoming courses and displayed an altered DHS seal, authorities said.
The organization also falsely claimed to be accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and the American Council on Education.
Dos Santos faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 18.
The Trump administration has prioritized eliminating fraud, government waste and abuse, establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud led by Vice President JD Vance. FEMA alone investigated more than 2,000 fraud cases in fiscal year 2025, according to DHS.
MLW star Donovan Dijak talks tag team wrestling being a 'lost art,' partnering with Josh Bishop and growth
It has been more than two years since Donovan Dijak joined Major League Wrestling (MLW) and just as he was in WWE NXT, he continued to be a force to be reckoned with.
The average pro wrestling might feast their eyes on the 6-foot-7, 270-pound Massachusetts native and believe he should be a singles competitor in the ring. However, Dijak has torn it up in MLW as part of The Skyscrapers tag team with Bishop Dyer and now Josh Bishop.
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Dijak and Bishop are set to have a massive tag team match against MLW world heavyweight champion Killer Kross and Matt Riddle. Kross and Riddle have had their differences in the past. Kross won the title in a Battle Riot earlier this year. Riddle had done the same in 2025. A win for Dijak and Bishop might catapult each of them into a shot at the world title down the line.
"I'm banking on them not being able to coexist," Dijak told OutKick Dropkick. "Hopefully me and Josh can coexist. I know there's some volatility there. But he (Bishop) has all the potential in the world. He's just an incredible dude. Big, strong, exactly what you want in a tag team partner, especially in a tag team called The Skyscrapers. I'm very excited for his future.
"I'm very excited to help mold his future and give him the path and the avenue and the direction and the instruction that is necessary for success at the level against guys like Killer Kross, against guys like Matt Riddle, who I've been wrestling for years and years and years, both of them. So, I'm super excited to get back in the ring with those guys and to be in the ring with Josh as well because he's just an unbelievable competitor."
Dijak said he was a big fan of tag team wrestling as well as singles wrestling. He teamed with Mace in WWE and wrestler Mikey Webb. He also credited Tommaso Ciampa with helping him learn the psychology of a tag team match.
Dijak held the MLW tag team titles with both Dyer and Bishop for nearly a year before dropping it to The Good Brothers – Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows.
Pro wrestling fans have expressed some dismay about tag team wrestling over the years. OutKick Dropkick asked Dijak whether the style was a "lost art" in the sport.
"Absolutely. There's so many points and purposes around tag team wrestling that I think kind of get lost in today's sort of system of professional wrestling. And I understand why, right? Because my perspective — and I teach a lot of this," Dijak said, pointing to his work at the New England Pro Wrestling Academy in Massachusetts and the course he offers online at Dijakwrestling.com.
"A big piece of tag team psychology that kind of gets lost is how different and unique of a platform it is as opposed to a singles match or singles wrestling. People get so caught up — and I know this happens because it happened to me back in 2014, 2015, 2016 when I was a younger wrestler and I was really champing at the bit to prove myself as an elite wrestler — I would get put in tag team matches or triple threat matches, and my first thought would be, ‘I wish it was a singles match because I really want to show what I can do as a singles competitor.’ When you have that mindset, it can take away from a match because you get hyper-focused on, ‘Let me show them how good of a singles wrestler I am,’ and that doesn't fulfill the potential of the unique situation of what a tag team match is.
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"Once you allow yourself to tell the story of tag team professional wrestling or triple threat professional wrestling or whatever your unique stipulation is, that proves how valuable of a commodity or an asset you are. It gives the fans a new experience because most cards have a ton of singles matches on them. It’s usually, singles, singles, singles, tag, singles, singles, triple threat, singles. So, if you take that opportunity to be like ‘Whoa, we got a tag team match now, let me show them everything that's unique about tag team wrestling,’ that can be such a fun experience for both you as a wrestler and the crowd as viewers because, now, they're getting something completely different. It's a completely different story that’s worth telling, and a lot of wrestlers miss out on that. Myself included back when that was my mindset. I hope that through my training and my teaching and hopefully saying this, more people can start to evolve and understand the gift they're being given."
MLW has grown over the last two years since Dijak joined the company.
The promotion struck distribution deals with Tubi and Veeps, allowing for "Fusion" to be aired on those channels – all for free. Dijak told OutKick Dropkick the growth was one of the reasons why he wanted to be a part of MLW in the first place.
"I love being part of that growth. That's exactly why I wanted to be part of MLW in the first place was because I could see the upward trajectory," he said. "You get a sense of it when you’re an outsider but from the inside, you get a perspective of, ‘OK, what are the company goals, what are the company aspirations, how are they trying to get there, what are they doing to get there?’ I got to see all of that over the course of two years, and it always trended in an upward direction. You could see the pieces being put in place for a weekly show, and then you can see the weekly show appear and then you’re like, OK, this is clearly meant for a different level of viewership, when’s that announcement coming? When they say a big announcement is coming, you always know in the back of your mind it actually is going to be a big announcement.
"It's exciting to see that come to fruition. Now we're on Tubi, with this amount of viewership and subscription service now the live streaming is going to be on this platform. So, to be able to see that and while doing that to sustain the live event crowds that we’ve had. We've been sold out for like three years straight now. It's just incredible to be part of that and to be someone who helps facilitate that upward trajectory is incredibly important to me. I love being part of MLW and hope to continue as we make this ascent in what is a clear, clear upward trajectory."
Man hunting for gems at state park spots something 'glowing' in the gravel: 'I was shaking'
A longtime gem hunter who struck it big with a rare yellow diamond is now opening up about the remarkable discovery — and what it may be worth.
Jack Pearadin, a Navy reservist, found the gem at the Crater of Diamonds State Park earlier this year.
The gem, which Pearadin named the "American Dream," weighs 6.03 carats. It has a striking golden-yellow color and an unusual, almost square shape.
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Though the discovery was first announced earlier this year, Pearadin recently opened up about the find to The Associated Press.
Arkansas state officials said Pearadin discovered the diamond during a Jan. 25 TikTok livestream while processing a bucket of gravel that he and his friend, Michael Schumacher, had collected from the park's search area in late December.
Schumacher was traveling at the time.
The hunt came shortly after a winter storm coated the area with more than an inch of ice, making it especially difficult to sift and wash the gravel.
"I was about eight feet away, and for some reason I turned back and saw [the gem] glowing from the center of the pile," Pearadin said.
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"I had to go almost to the bottom of the pile to pull it out, it was so big. I was shaking!"
Pearadin's reaction was captured in real time during a TikTok livestream.
"Oh my God! Oh my God!" he was recorded as saying. "We got a big one!"
Pearadin told the AP that some collectors said the diamond could be worth as much as $1 million.
Park officials previously told Fox News Digital that park employees "are not trained to grade or appraise diamonds or other rocks and minerals."
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"Our primary training involves properly identifying and registering diamonds for guests who find them," an Arkansas State Parks official said.
"Anyone interested in having their diamonds graded or appraised can reach out to a certified gemologist, who has had special training to properly grade gemstone quality and estimate value."
Laura Stanley, a certified gem appraiser in Little Rock, told the AP that a high-quality six-carat yellow diamond from the park could sell for about $250,000.
"They are their own entity," Stanley said.
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"It’s the only place in America where you can go find your own diamond, and you can’t compare that to a diamond from anywhere else."
Pearadin has been searching for diamonds at the park since 2013 and even moved to nearby Murfreesboro to pursue the hobby, according to the AP.
"I love it that much," he told the outlet.
Pearadin has sold most of the diamonds he has personally found through online sales.
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For the "American Dream," Pearadin said he plans to split any profits with Schumacher, who helped collect the gravel containing the stone. He hopes to use the money to open his own crystal mine.
Fox News Digital reached out to Pearadin for further comment.
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Pearadin's discovery is one of several notable diamonds unearthed at Crater of Diamonds State Park this year.
This summer, officials announced that a grieving Pennsylvania woman had discovered a 3.09-carat diamond at the park, just days after burying her father and months after losing her son.
On Aug. 29, officials announced that a Tennessee grandfather had discovered a 2.29-carat yellow diamond while searching the park.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
WWE star Joe Hendry drops music album, stands by calling for Logan Paul's firing and not jumping to use AI
Joe Hendry was a WWE NXT champion, a Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) champion and made a surprise WrestleMania appearance in 2025 to take on Randy Orton.
But did anyone have Hendry being a chart-topping musician on their bingo cards? Call it if you did.
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Hendry’s "Beyond Belief" was released this week, which includes 11 songs. He told OutKick Dropkick he had been performing live since he was a kid growing up in Scotland and before he started to pursue pro wrestling as a career.
"It’s been an incredibly rewarding journey. It's very exciting. I had such fun when I released ‘I Believe in Joe Hendry’ as a single, but like an album is a whole different beast. That’s a big commitment for our fans and music listeners a full feature-length album," he said. "I appreciate people taking the time to listen to it and buy it, and it's just been very humbling to see the response."
Hendry said he wrote the album in a span of about 34 days. At first, he said WWE Music wanted to put out a song about The Miz. The idea transformed into a possible EP and then into a full album.
One of the songs on "Beyond Belief" is about firing Logan Paul, who Hendry has been in a feud with for a few months. He’s performed it live on "Monday Night Raw" multiple times and interrupted Judgment Day matches with his vocals.
He said he had about a week’s notice before getting the song together because it was going to be about his Raw debut. But with a small storyline change, the lyrics changed with it.
"I was told that I'd be debuting on the Raw after WrestleMania, so I had about a week's notice to come up with a song, but it was gonna be, ‘Raw, Raw, Joe Hendry signed to Raw,’ but then they announced my appearance, it was delayed, and they announced my appearance the following week, so me signing to Raw was no longer the story. And I needed to go after someone, and I've always been of the opinion you go after the biggest name in the building, and that's Logan Paul.
"He's our most Googled WWE superstar. And so, to me, that was the person to go after and that's where ‘Fire Logan Paul’ came from. So, I'd say about a week for that one."
Hendry said Paul hates the song, but he has no plans of backing off it.
"Obviously, he hates it. He despises it. It tells the truth. It’s ‘Logan Paul should be fired.’ We all know this. This is a campaign that I've been on. It’s why it's an important part of the album. I think when you have a platform like mine, you have to use it for good, and that will probably involve trying to get Logan Paul fired, and that feels like a quest that I'll never stop."
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Artificial intelligence in the music industry has been more rampant in the last few years. AI has been shown to create music, generate melodies and essentially creating a band when you have no instruments available.
But Hendry told OutKick Dropkick he would trust himself before he trusts a machine.
"For me and my songwriting, I feel like that's my skill, and I don't want to use AI to write songs because I don't know, I can just, I can personally tell the difference between a song that's been AI generated and that's been written by a human being and it's a skill that I've worked very hard on.
"So I understand that we live in a world where there are tools that you can use. For example, there are amazing keyboard sounds and drum sounds that you can get just by pressing buttons on your keyboard, which obviously as musicians like those are amazing tools. But in terms of the actual creation of music, I think I'm going to trust Joe Hendry before I trust the machine."
Hendry is far from the only one who has recorded songs on the WWE roster.
Liv Morgan released "Trouble" before WrestleMania 42 and made it her entrance music. Alexa Bliss is set to release a song with her husband Ryan Cabrera later this week.
Hendry said he was open to collaborations but might have to wait a bit on Morgan given her associations with The Judgment Day.
"I'm always open to that. I'm always open to that. Right now, I will say, look, I'm open to collaborations, but right now myself and Liv Morgan are not on very good terms," he said. "She is obviously in the judgment Day who I have frequent problems with, so, I'm afraid that, I'm not going to lend my songwriting skills to the Judgment Day at this time."
Hendry noted on X on Tuesday his album was rising on the iTunes, scoring as high as No. 2 on one chart.
It just goes to show you, never stop believing in Joe Hendry.
KARL ROVE: Fox News changed the media 30 years ago. The best is yet to come
Thirty years ago, on Oct. 7, 2026, Fox News burst on the scene. It arrived just in time.
Journalism as practiced in print, television and cable had become, on the national level, infected by subtle bias. Important stories went unreported because they didn’t fit into the mindset of a largely insular community. This community dominated the major national channels. It consisted of executives, producers, anchors, reporters, writers and researchers.
The closer these individuals were to the top of their networks, the more they tended to come from the same universities, live in the same towns and socialize with each other. They tended to share liberal or left-of-center attitudes and biases that permeated their choice of stories and the nature of their coverage. They were mostly unaware of this bias. If they were aware, some didn’t care. They were in a position to set the agenda and shape the storyline and were happy to do so.
Then along came Fox News. On the news side, it aimed for fairness and balance. Its anchors and on-air personalities strove to cover issues and events that were important to the audience and the country, not just what advanced someone’s bias. Like most Americans, the news side of Fox consists of people who love our country, see her greatness as well as her challenges and connect with people all across the nation who want fairness and balance.
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Over the years, these Fox News figures have won the respect of both competitors and the nation’s newsmakers. They’ve interviewed leaders of our country and the world. Fox anchors have been on the stage asking questions in presidential primary and general election debates involving both parties. Fox Sunday morning programs, both on the channel and on Fox Business, have become must-do stops for newsmakers and must-watch television for Americans who want to learn what is actually going on.
In all these settings, Fox News on-air personalities have raised important issues other networks ignored or downplayed. They’ve developed reputations as hard-working journalists who do their homework, know the facts and ask tough, fair questions of all who sit before their cameras.
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On the opinion side of Fox, the on-air personalities are conservative, patriotic and proud of our country. They’re passionate about sharing their views. And as they strive for a respectful national conversation, they’re confident enough to share their studios with figures to the left of center.
That is why, for example, "The Five," originally an experiment to fill space while programming was rejiggered, has turned out to be such a popular and durable part of the Fox lineup. Imagine — people from the left and right talking about issues, often disagreeing and sometimes agreeing, but always doing so with empathy, intelligence, wit and, oh, yes, good humor!
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This combination of fair and balanced news coverage and an opinion voice for a large element of the country that was ignored — and, in some cases, looked down upon by those who ran the existing national media — has made for an exciting three decades for Fox. This network has become a vital part of America’s national dialogue, and I’ve been honored to be part of it since January 2008.
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The past 30 years of success for Fox News are just the start. What an exciting time lies ahead as the channel’s leadership encourages even greater efforts toward fair and balanced coverage of the big events affecting our country and the world.
Stay tuned. The best is yet to come.
Last-chance October Prime Day deals — including 50% off this Shark vacuum
FOX News Deals may be compensated for, or earn a commission if you buy through our links.
I recently bought this Shark Pet cordless vacuum myself, and it's quickly become one of my go-tos for everyday cleanup. It's 50% off for the final day of October Prime Day, bringing the price down to $150. I love the lightweight, cordless design for quick cleanups, and the LED headlights make it easier to spot pet hair, dust and debris I might otherwise miss. If you need a vacuum upgrade, now's the time to shop before the sale ends.
READ MORE: October Prime Day deals: AirPods under $180, Shark vacuums at 50% off and more
Take it from me: These last-chance October Prime Day deals are worth a look. If you've been waiting to replace a well-loved coffee maker or pick up new earbuds, now's the best time to save before the holiday shopping rush. — Caitlyn Martyn, Commerce Editor
Upgrade your listening experience with Apple AirPods Pro 3 earbuds, now $70 off.
Make mornings easier with a $100 Keurig and bulk buy K-Cup pods while they're on sale.
Layer up as temperatures drop with a bestselling Hanes hoodie, now just $10.
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Why it's worth it: Follow every pitch and play with clear picture and crisp sound. The 65-inch TV is at a record-low price (over $650 off), making it a timely upgrade for MLB postseason games and NFL Sundays.
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Here are three items our team bought during October Prime Day.
"I snagged this LEGO Advent calendar as a gift for a family member who loves to build. This will surely go out of stock the closer we get to the holidays." — Caitlyn Martyn, Commerce Editor
"I like home-cooked meals during the week, but I have limited time. I got this Ninja air fryer to prep a lot of food quickly." — Brianna DiCamillo, Commerce Analytics Manager
"I have a lot of Craftsman tools, so I like to have extra batteries on hand. With this substantial discount, I had to buy these." — Christopher Murray, Commerce Writer
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Michael Kors crossbody bag ($80.17) — now 52% off: This stylish crossbody is made from 100% leather.
Samsonite two-piece luggage set ($175) — now 35% off: Prep for holiday travel with these two hardshell roller bags.
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Last-chance October Prime Day home deals: A $150 Ninja air fryer, 50% off Roombas and more
50% off Shark, $120 off Dyson and more last-chance October Prime Day vacuum deals
Last-minute October Prime Day tool deals: Up to 45% off DeWalt, Craftsman and more
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Shop the final hours of October Prime Day with deals on home, tools, tech and more.
Wayfair's 5 Days of Deals offers up to 60% off furniture for every room, plus up to 40% off Christmas trees and seasonal decor.
Cook like Gordon Ramsay for less with HexClad’s Prime Time sale, featuring up to 52% off pots, pans and knives.
Newsom again calls for Trump’s removal under 25th Amendment, White House hits back
California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for invoking the 25th Amendment against President Donald Trump, calling the president "mentally ill" following Trump's controversial remarks involving Los Angeles and San Diego.
"Donald Trump is mentally ill. TIME FOR THE 25TH!" Newsom said in statements provided to multiple media outlets.
The Democratic governor's comments came after Trump referenced the two California cities while discussing Iran during a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday.
"They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego," Trump said. "This is a very small price to pay."
Newsom blasted the president as "deranged and dangerous" in a post on X responding to the remarks.
It is not the first time Newsom has called for using the 25th Amendment against Trump. In July, the California governor said Trump's election integrity speech represented a "legitimate 25th Amendment moment" and described it as "the rambling of a mad king."
That earlier call drew sharp pushback from Republicans, who accused Newsom and other Democrats of applying a double standard after defending former President Joe Biden amid questions about his age and cognitive fitness while he was in office.
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The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, provides a process under which the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet — or another body designated by Congress — can declare a president unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office.
The White House has pushed back on interpretations of Trump's latest comments, saying the president was arguing that American cities could have faced threats from Iran if Tehran had obtained a nuclear weapon.
White House communications director Steven Cheung said the ensuing "media freakout" was "not rooted in reality," adding that Trump "was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped."
"America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money," Cheung said.
Trump's remarks came as he discussed the costs associated with the conflict with Iran, telling the Nebraska crowd that Americans were paying a "small price ... for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe," before referencing the potential threat to U.S. cities.
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's office and the White House, but did not immediately receive responses.
AI voice scam traps mom in 5-hour kidnapping nightmare
I want you to think about the voice of someone you love. You know how that person sounds when they're laughing, and you also know the voice you would hear if they were terrified. So what would you do if your phone rang, and you heard that voice begging you for help? That's what happened to Deborah Del Mastro.
I recently sat down with Deborah on "The CyberGuy Report" podcast to hear her tell this story in her own words. Even after everything she has been through, you can hear how deeply the experience still affects her. Months after the scam, she also told a U.S. Senate committee that she remained "completely traumatized."
The California mother and Navy veteran was having breakfast with her husband when a local number appeared on her phone. The man on the other end claimed a Mexican drug cartel had taken her 37-year-old daughter Sarah. Then Deborah heard the voice that made the threat feel terrifyingly real. "It's my daughter's voice," she told me. "And she's having a panic attack."
For the next five and a half hours, the caller threatened Deborah and her family, sent her and her husband from place to place and demanded thousands of dollars. What Deborah didn't know was that the story unfolding on the phone was very different from what was actually happening to Sarah.
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THE FAMILY GROUP CHAT IS A GOLDMINE FOR SCAMMERS
The call started strangely enough. "I get a local phone call, my area code," Deborah told me. When she answered, the man asked, "Who is this?" Deborah turned the question back on him, and he replied that he was "someone you need to talk to."
Then he asked whether Deborah's daughter was prone to panic attacks. That question immediately got her attention. Deborah could hear commotion in the background before the caller put someone else on the line. She heard Sarah. The voice was crying and struggling to breathe. "I'm so sorry, Mom. I'm so scared," Deborah remembers hearing. "It was exactly her voice," she told me.
There was another reason Deborah believed she was hearing her daughter. Sarah had recently gone through a breakup, and Deborah had heard her daughter sobbing like that only days earlier. The sound on the phone matched something painfully familiar, which made the call even more convincing.
The man told Deborah that Sarah had witnessed something she was never supposed to see in a parking lot. He claimed ties to a Mexican drug cartel and said Sarah had her phone out when she saw what happened. According to Deborah, his boss had ordered him to take her.
Then he told Deborah what they wanted. "They were going to sell her for $20,000 unless I could come up with the money," Deborah told me. The threat became even darker. She said the caller repeatedly talked about selling Sarah and suggested she could "pay her way in other ways," leaving Deborah terrified that the criminals could sexually traffic her daughter. At that point, she believed violent criminals had Sarah.
One of his first instructions was to bring a phone charger. "He tells me that I better charge my phone or bring a phone charger because if my phone dies before we're finished, I'll never see her again," Deborah recalled. That told me a lot about how carefully this scam was run. The caller needed control. He demanded that Deborah keep the phone connected so he could hear what was happening around her. He wanted to know when she moved, what she was doing and who she was talking to.
At one point, Deborah muted the call so she could speak privately with her husband. The caller noticed and began screaming. He warned her against trying "funny business." Deborah told me, "He wants to keep my phone open right here so he can hear everything." That control continued for five and a half hours.
YOUR FAMILY COULD BE ONE PHONE CALL FROM A BANK SCAM
The caller initially wanted $20,000. Deborah didn't have it. "We just don't have that," she remembers telling him. So she started negotiating for what she believed was her daughter's life. "Now I'm bargaining with the devil," she told me. Deborah said she had roughly $2,000 in savings. The caller instructed her to go to a nearby Walmart and use MoneyGram to wire money to Mexico. She went, keeping the phone where he could hear everything happening around her.
The man warned that people were watching her in the parking lot and claimed undercover police officers were nearby. He also gave Deborah a story to use if anyone questioned the transfer. The caller told her to say she was helping a relative with medical expenses. "Be discreet," she remembers him telling her. That detail bothers me because scammers often go beyond demanding money. They prepare victims to get around the very people who might recognize that something is wrong.
Deborah moved from location to location sending money. When I asked whether anyone challenged her or asked whether she was OK, her answer was immediate. "No. No. Not at all." By then, the scammer had already given her a cover story. He had also spent hours convincing Deborah that talking to someone could get Sarah killed.
In the end, Deborah sent $5,400 through four separate transactions using MoneyGram and Western Union. She said the transfers took all the accessible money she and her husband had. Later, she put it to me another way: "We were held hostage for 5.5 hours." Deborah and her husband could physically move, but emotionally, the caller had them exactly where he wanted them.
Several hours into the call, Deborah kept asking to speak with her daughter again. Eventually, the caller agreed, but even that conversation came with instructions. He told Deborah exactly what she could say: "This nightmare is nearly over. We're going to come get you as soon as we can."
Then Sarah's voice responded. "I'm so sorry, Mom. I love you." I asked Deborah again whether it really sounded like her daughter. "It was her voice," she said. "It was absolutely her voice."
Immediately afterward, another man came onto the phone. Deborah described him as an "enforcer" whose threats sounded even harsher. Soon, the scammers demanded more money.
There's something Deborah later said that gives you an idea of where her mind had gone during those hours. While her husband drove and the caller listened over the phone, Deborah spent much of the trip sitting silently. Instead of wondering whether this could be a scam, her mind went to Sarah and whether she would survive it.
Deborah was already trying to figure out how her daughter would get through life after an experience like this. Paying the ransom was only part of what was running through her mind. She believed something terrible had already happened to her child and started thinking about how she would help Sarah recover afterward. That shows you how completely real this had become to her.
Eventually, the man told Deborah the ordeal was over. He claimed they had released Sarah outside a Walmart where Deborah and her husband were waiting. "Go get her," Deborah remembers him saying. Then he hung up.
Deborah could see the front entrance, so she got out of the car and looked for her daughter. Sarah wasn't there. For a moment, Deborah thought the criminals still had her even after taking every dollar she could reach. She frantically looked around before finally calling Sarah herself. Her daughter answered. "Hi, Mom. What's going on?" Sarah was at work.
For more than five hours, Deborah believed people were holding her daughter and might kill her or sell her. Then Sarah simply answered her phone from work. "I'd never been so relieved to be scammed in my life," Deborah told me.
She believes she screamed in the parking lot before the tears came. Deborah told Sarah she loved her, and after work, Sarah came to her parents' home. Her mother hugged her and sobbed. The family then went to the local police department to report what had happened. Losing the money hurt, but Sarah was alive.
When Deborah explained what had happened, Sarah had an immediate reaction. "Mom, that was probably an AI clone of my voice," Deborah remembers her saying. Both of Deborah's adult children work in IT, so they already knew this kind of technology existed. Deborah didn't. "I didn't know," she recalls.
Deborah firmly believes she heard an artificial intelligence-generated version of Sarah's voice. We do know the technology exists, and federal authorities have warned about criminals using it. The FTC says scammers can take a short clip of someone's real voice, including audio posted online, and use voice-cloning technology to make a call sound like that person.
The underlying scam has been around much longer than today's AI tools. The FBI calls it "virtual kidnapping." Criminals claim they have taken someone you love even though no kidnapping occurred.
One classic warning sign closely matches Deborah's experience. The FBI says virtual kidnappers often work hard to keep victims on the phone so they can't check where their loved one actually is. The agency has also warned about ransom demands involving wire transfers to Mexico.
More recently, the FBI warned that criminals are using altered media in virtual kidnapping schemes. AI can make an old scam much more convincing. Deborah put it perfectly: "It is an old scam with new technology."
One reaction Deborah still encounters is the question some people ask after a scam: Why didn't you hang up? Why didn't you know? Why didn't you tell someone? She understands those questions, but she also knows what was happening inside that call.
As a Navy veteran, Deborah describes herself as someone who stays calm in a crisis. "I always say I am the person that runs to the fire, not away from it." Yet the voice on the phone convinced her completely that Sarah was in danger.
That's something I want people to remember before judging anyone who falls for one of these calls. You can know about scams and handle pressure well. Then someone puts the terrified voice of your child in your ear. Criminals understand exactly what kind of emotional reaction they're trying to trigger.
The $5,400 represented every readily available dollar Deborah and her husband could access. She says they are seniors living on Social Security along with income from other work, so the loss hit them hard. The following morning, Deborah went to Facebook and told her community what had happened. She also warned that criminals now had "high-tech capability."
Friends began sending money, but Deborah initially resisted because she didn't want to profit from what happened. Eventually, they convinced her to create a fundraiser on GoFundMe limited to replacing what the couple had lost. Her community raised the money back. That support couldn't erase the five-and-a-half-hour ordeal, but it meant a great deal to Deborah. Her community had shown up for her before, and they showed up again.
You don't have to become an expert at detecting synthetic audio. In fact, I wouldn't build your family's defense around your ability to recognize a fake voice. A better approach is to decide now how your family will verify an emergency.
If someone claims your child, spouse or another relative has been kidnapped or injured, contact that person directly at the number you already have saved. If they don't answer, try someone who should know where they are. The FTC specifically recommends verifying the story through a phone number you know belongs to your loved one.
Choose a word or phrase that someone couldn't easily discover through social media. The FBI recommends establishing a family code word for situations like virtual kidnapping scams.
Deborah also recommends a safe word now, although her experience shows why you need more than one way to verify an emergency. "There was no way I could have done any of that in this particular situation," she told me. The caller controlled when she could speak with Sarah, so don't make a safe word your family's only verification method.
After the scam, Deborah and Sarah began using a location-sharing app so each could see where the other was. Apple and Google also offer built-in location-sharing options. If you want to set this up on your phone, see our guide on how to share your whereabouts in any situation using your cell phone.
Location sharing comes with its own privacy considerations, so only share your location with people you trust. An agreed-upon way to check someone's whereabouts can give your family another verification tool during an emergency.
Secrecy played a major role in Deborah's ordeal. The caller told her not to speak to anyone, listened during the transactions and gave her a fake explanation to use if someone asked questions. The FTC says urgency and secrecy are common characteristics of family emergency scams. If someone claims a loved one's survival depends on keeping you from contacting anyone else, treat that as a major warning.
Scammers like payment methods that move money quickly and make recovery difficult. The FTC specifically warns about emergency scammers demanding wire transfers, cryptocurrency and gift cards.
If you've already sent money, contact the bank or transfer company immediately and ask whether it can stop or recall the transaction. Then report what happened to local police and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
Your name, relatives, phone numbers and other family connections can appear across people-search sites and data broker databases. That information can make a fake emergency more believable. I've tried manually removing my own information from these sites before, and keeping up with it can turn into a job because the information often returns.
A data removal service can help automate some of that work by requesting removal of your information from people-search sites and data broker databases. You can also learn more in our CyberGuy guide on removing your personal information from the web. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.
This may be the most useful conversation you have with your family this week. Tell them that a familiar voice can be faked. Agree that nobody sends emergency money until someone verifies the situation another way. A few minutes spent setting that expectation today could become extremely important when someone tries to scare you tomorrow.
I've talked with a lot of scam victims over the years, and Deborah's story hit me hard. This wasn't some robotic impersonation that immediately made her suspicious. The voice sounded like her daughter having the kind of panic attack Deborah had heard before. For more than five hours, this guy kept her terrified and focused on one thing: getting Sarah home alive.
What stays with me most is where Deborah's mind went during that ordeal. Sitting in the car, she was already wondering how she would help Sarah recover from whatever these supposed kidnappers had done to her. That's a parent's mind at work. The money came later. Sarah came first.
I don't think the answer is expecting people to become experts at spotting fake audio. As the technology improves, a convincing voice could fool any of us. Instead, build another way to verify an emergency before one happens. Have a safe word, call your loved one directly and check with someone who may be physically near them. If your family feels comfortable using location sharing, set that up ahead of time.
Most importantly, talk about this with the people you love. Deborah had no idea this kind of voice scam was possible before that phone rang. Now she's sharing what happened because she doesn't want another parent sitting in a parking lot wondering whether their child is coming home. Watch or listen to my full conversation with Deborah on The CyberGuy Report podcast at CyberGuy.com.
If you heard what sounded exactly like your child or spouse crying and begging you not to hang up, would you remember to verify the call before sending money? What does your family have in place right now? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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LeBron James shuts down Joel Embiid rift rumor, but Sixers leadership tension is real
Well, that didn't take long.
LeBron James' tenure in Philadelphia is starting with immediate friction, placing the 41-year-old superstar right at the center of the team's initial practice reports.
LEBRON JAMES ADMITS HE NEARLY JOINED THE KNICKS BEFORE JALEN BRUNSON WON THE NBA TITLE WITHOUT HIM
During a preseason broadcast against the New York Knicks, veteran announcer Mike Breen reported that Joel Embiid arrived a couple of minutes late, prompting LeBron to "let him hear it" in front of the team.
LeBron quickly shot down the report on Instagram, posting a photo alongside Embiid captioned: "[billed cap emoji]! He ain't been late so stop the lies."
The report gained immediate traction because of Embiid’s history with punctuality.
During the 2024-25 season, Tyrese Maxey confronted Embiid in an hour-long team meeting, explicitly calling him out for being late "for everything" and demanding he show up on time. Given that history, Breen's account sounded familiar to everyone listening.
NBA STAR JAYLEN BROWN SAYS IN RIDICULOUS INTERVIEW HE'S AN INFLUENCER, NOT AN ENTERTAINER FOR FANS
LeBron's denial followed recent public praise for Embiid’s conditioning. Before this whole mess surfaced, LeBron noted that the center had not missed a single practice and looked significantly better than he did during their gold-medal run with Team USA in 2024.
The moment reopens the real question in Philly: who actually runs a locker room suddenly stuffed with too many 'alphas'?
THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!
When teammate Jaylen Brown shut down questions about the team's "alpha," he signaled what everyone knew: fitting a 41-year-old James alongside Embiid and Maxey is an ego powder keg waiting to pop.
Meanwhile in L.A., Lakers coach JJ Redick used his opening news conference to credit a refreshed locker room culture to moving past the LeBron era, underscoring just how heavy James' shadow really is.
On top of the locker room dynamics, LeBron is also managing diagnosed arthritis. Managing public drama around his co-star's work ethic is just extra noise he doesn't need.
This season is shaping up as a volatile, potential one-and-done run for LeBron in Philly.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela