A Cuban woman living abroad narrowly escaped losing $1,600 in a solar panel scam targeting her mother in Cuba. The fraud involved using artificial intelligence to clone her mother's voice, deceiving her sister into making the payment.
Juanly, a TikTok user with the handle @juanly20, exposed the scam by detailing how it unfolded. Her mother, residing in Cuba, was searching for solar panels on Facebook and WhatsApp groups, as they are more affordable within the island compared to importing them from abroad.
A fraudulent seller contacted the mother, requesting her address and insisting the payment be made from overseas before delivery, claiming the delivery team was already en route from Havana.
As they kept the mother on the phone under the guise of being "lost" near Camilo Park and needing directions, the scammers executed the most advanced part of their scheme: they sent an audio message to the sister from a WhatsApp number featuring the mother's profile picture. The message, mimicking the mother's voice, stated that the panels had arrived and urged her to proceed with the payment.
"It was an audio of my mom with the same WhatsApp picture as my mom [...] it was my mom's voice; I imagine the audio was generated with AI," Juanly explained, referring to a voice cloning tool powered by artificial intelligence.
The deception unraveled due to a simple oversight: the mother and sister were on a call at the same time, making it impossible for the mother to have sent the audio. "Did you send me an audio?" the sister asked. The mother's quick response was, "How could I send you an audio if I'm talking to you right now?"
Realizing their cover was blown, the scammers blocked both women, removed the mother's profile picture from the WhatsApp number, and disconnected the call.
Juanly warned that the scam could have worked on anyone else: "Anyone who knows my mom would believe the audio saying the guy with the panels had arrived, and these scammers are using modern methods."
This incident is not isolated. Since June 2026, there has been a documented increase in sophisticated solar panel scams in Cuba, ranging from simple non-delivery frauds to using AI for generating fake installation images or hacking WhatsApp accounts to disrupt communication with victims during the scam.
Another Cuban, Claudia Y., lost $6,000 in a similar scam that combined WhatsApp hacking with AI-cloned voice and images. On July 4, Leydi Mariam Varela, a resident of San Antonio de los Baños, reported losing 75,000 Cuban pesos in an electric battery purchase that never materialized.
The backdrop to these scams is Cuba's severe energy crisis, where blackouts can exceed 20 hours daily in some provinces, driving up demand for solar panels and creating a fertile informal market for criminals. Digital forensic experts say it takes only 15 to 20 seconds of someone's audio to clone their voice using publicly available AI tools online.
The Cuban authorities have failed to implement effective measures against this wave of technological fraud, with victims reporting a lack of police response to their complaints.
"It's very sad to sacrifice to help your family and have things like this happen," Juanly concluded her account, urging caution with what people see on Facebook, Marketplace, and from unfamiliar individuals.
Understanding AI Voice Cloning and Scams in Cuba
How are scammers using AI to clone voices?
Scammers use AI voice cloning tools that can mimic a person's voice using just a short audio clip, often taken from social media or previous communications.
Why is there an increase in solar panel scams in Cuba?
Cuba's ongoing energy crisis, with frequent and prolonged blackouts, has increased the demand for solar panels, creating opportunities for scammers to exploit this necessity.
What can individuals do to protect themselves from such scams?
People should verify the identity of sellers, be cautious with unsolicited communications, and avoid making payments before confirming the legitimacy of the transaction.