Deepfake Imitation: $26M Scam Hits Company in Video Call

Deepfake scammers duped a multinational company of $26 million, posing as senior executives, Hong Kong police report in a first-of-its-kind case in the city.

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Law enforcement struggles to cope with generative artificial intelligence, raising concerns about its potential for disinformation, including deepfake images depicting individuals saying things they never uttered.

Chinese Scammers Use Fake Calls to Dupe Company Employee into Unauthorized Money Transfers

Chinese finance hub worker deceived by fake senior officers in video calls, led to unauthorized money transfers, police informed AFP.

Police received an alert on January 29, reporting the loss of HK$200 million in 15 transfers. Investigations ongoing, no arrests made, company name undisclosed.

Authorities are conducting investigations, and they have not made any arrests yet. They are withholding the company’s name.

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Finance Employee Duped by Deepfake Scammers Posing as UK CFO in Hong Kong

Finance department employee falls prey as scammers mimic the UK-based CFO in an elaborate video conference scam, manipulating multiple participants, as revealed by Acting Senior Superintendent Baron Chan.

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Scammers sourced publicly available video and audio from YouTube to create deepfake content, emulating voices to lure the victim into following instructions, Chan explained. The pre-recorded deepfake videos lacked direct interaction with the victim.