Earlier this month, on a Tuesday morning, a Ferrari NV executive started receiving a series of unexpected messages purportedly from CEO Benedetto Vigna. These messages provided information about a significant purchase and requested the executive’s assistance. However, the truth was uncovered just in time. How did the scammer get caught? How dangerous is deepfake technology? Here are the details…
Ferrari Executive Catches Deepfake Scammer Impersonating the CEO with a Security Question
The phone number and profile picture from which the messages originated were not Vigna’s usual number and photo. The Ferrari executive noticed something was amiss after receiving the messages. This scam attempt, executed using deepfake technology, featured a perfect imitation of the CEO’s voice. The impersonator, pretending to be Vigna, claimed to be calling from another phone number and wanted to discuss a confidential deal.
However, the executive grew suspicious and asked a security question to confirm Vigna’s identity: “Benedetto, I’m sorry, but I need to verify who you are. Can you tell me the name of the book you recommended to me a few days ago?” The response that followed was an irrelevant book title, prompting the executive to immediately hang up and report the situation to authorities.
YouTube will allow you to remove deepfake videos
Following this deepfake incident, Ferrari launched an internal investigation. This event serves as a significant example of how AI-based deepfake technologies can be utilized for fraud. Such scam attempts often involve impersonating high-profile executives.
In May, Mark Read, CEO of advertising giant WPP Plc, was targeted in a similar deepfake scam attempt. This year has seen an increase in attempts by scammers to use AI for voice cloning. While some companies are taking precautions against such threats, they are also educating their executives on how to identify fraud attempts.
What do you think? What are the best measures to take against such AI-based scams? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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