U.S. residents are being warned about an emerging international scam that uses artificial intelligence to impersonate Marco Emilio Hincapié, president of Coljuegos — the Colombian government agency that regulates gambling.
According to a formal statement issued by Coljuegos, cybercriminals are contacting people in the United States, falsely informing them that they’ve won the Baloto, a popular Colombian lottery.
Victims are told they must wire up to $18,000 USD in “processing fees” to receive their prize.
What makes the scam especially alarming is the use of AI-powered voice cloning technology to impersonate Hincapié. “These criminals are using deepfake audio to convince victims that they are speaking directly with the president of Coljuegos,” the agency stated. “We want to make it absolutely clear: Coljuegos does not pay prizes. We are a regulatory body.”
At least three confirmed cases have involved scam calls from the numbers +57 3212700129 and +57 3203421195, both with Colombian country codes. In some cases, victims were even persuaded to travel to Colombia to claim their supposed winnings, only to discover they had been defrauded.
Coljuegos has filed criminal complaints with Colombian authorities and is offering legal support to affected individuals.
If you receive such a call or message, do not send money. Prize payouts for games like Baloto are handled solely by authorized operators — never by the government. For verification or questions, contact Coljuegos directly at contactenos@coljuegos.gov.co or call +57 1 8000 182888.
