Deepfakes in video calls

A deepfake is AI-generated video or audio that imitates a real person. In January 2024 a finance employee in Arup's Hong Kong office received a message that appeared to come from the UK-based CFO about a confidential transaction. They had doubts, until a multi-person video call in which the CFO and several colleagues all appeared. Hong Kong police later said everyone on the call except the victim was fake, built from existing video and audio of real staff. The employee made 15 transfers totalling HK$200 million (about US$25 million).

Smaller attempts follow the same script. In 2024 scammers targeted WPP's CEO, Mark Read: they set up a WhatsApp account with his photo and arranged a Microsoft Teams meeting using a cloned voice and YouTube footage, trying to get another agency leader to set up a new business and hand over money and personal details. It failed; WPP credited the vigilance of its staff, including the executive who was targeted.

Don't rely on spotting glitches; the fakes keep improving. Rely on process: treat urgency plus secrecy as a reason to pause, verify any payment or data request through a second channel you already trust (call back on a known number, never one given in the message), and require two people to approve unusual transfers.