visimoney
TLDR:
A finance worker at a multinational firm was scammed out of $25 million after participating in a video call with deepfake versions of several company employees posing as the chief financial officer. The worker grew suspicious after receiving a message from the supposed CFO and initially thought it was a phishing email. However, during the video call, the deepfake recreations of the colleagues appeared and sounded just like the real individuals, convincing the worker to transfer the money.
Key points:
- A finance worker was tricked into paying out $25 million to fraudsters using deepfake technology during a video conference call.
- The scam involved deepfake recreations of company employees, including the chief financial officer.
- The worker became suspicious after receiving a message from the CFO but was convinced by the deepfake colleagues on the video call.
- Authorities are concerned about the growing use of deepfake technology for fraudulent purposes.
- Hong Kong police have made arrests in connection with deepfake scams and have discovered instances where deepfakes were used to trick facial recognition programs.
- The incident highlights the potential damaging effects of deepfake technology.
A finance worker at a multinational firm in Hong Kong fell victim to a deepfake scam, losing $25 million to fraudsters. During a video conference call, the worker was deceived by deepfake versions of several company employees, including the chief financial officer. Initially suspicious after receiving a message that appeared to be from the CFO, the worker’s doubts were dispelled when the deepfake colleagues on the call looked and sounded like their real counterparts. The unsuspecting worker agreed to transfer $25.6 million, but the scam was later discovered when the employee checked with the corporation’s head office.
Authorities around the world are increasingly concerned about the use of deepfake technology for nefarious purposes. Hong Kong police have made arrests in connection with deepfake scams, including instances where stolen identity cards were used to make loan applications and bank account registrations. In at least 20 cases, deepfakes successfully tricked facial recognition programs by imitating the individuals pictured on the stolen identity cards.
The incident serves as a reminder of the damaging potential of deepfake technology, which has gained attention for its ability to create realistic but fake audio and video. In January, AI-generated, pornographic images of American pop star Taylor Swift circulated on social media, highlighting the negative impact of deepfakes. The incident involving the finance worker emphasizes the need for increased vigilance and precautions against the manipulation and exploitation of deepfake technology.
