The FBI says three people used AI copies of CEOs and lawyers to trick employees into wiring $129 million. Any business that sends wires should take note.
The FBI has charged three people with running a long-running scam that used AI to fake the voices and faces of company bosses and lawyers. The goal was to get employees to wire money to accounts the scammers controlled. Prosecutors say the total reached $129 million. The charges were announced Thursday, Nov. 5, in a Department of Justice press release.
According to the release, the group pretended to be the CEO of a target company. They contacted an employee and said they needed help with a confidential financial deal. They used AI to copy the CEO's image, voice, or both.
Then came a second layer. The fake CEO told the employee to contact attorneys at large international law firms. When the employee did, someone impersonated the lawyer. The employee was then told to wire a large sum to a bank account held by members of the conspiracy.
The FBI did not name the companies. It said they included a Missouri hospital system that lost $4.8 million, a Rhode Island bank that lost $3 million and a UK fintech that lost $11.6 million. A fintech is a company that offers financial services through technology.
The three defendants are Jacob Soall, 41, Sharon Hazan, 54, and Guy Sheetrit, 42. They face charges of wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft. Each faces up to several decades in prison if convicted. These are allegations, not verdicts.
This scheme went after companies and the employees who move their money. The material does not describe it targeting ordinary households. But it is not only a big-company problem. A PYMNTS Intelligence report from April found 58% of companies with more than $1 billion in yearly revenue met AI-made documents or deepfake attacks in the past year. That was 11 percentage points more than smaller businesses.
The alert box above lists the steps. The main idea is simple: a familiar voice or face on a call is no longer proof of who is asking. Urgency and secrecy should raise suspicion, not lower it. Watch for these signs:
The case is just beginning. The announcement as reported does not say how the fakes were made, whether any money was recovered, or when a trial might start. It also notes that Hazan allegedly bragged about laundering more than $400 million in three years.
Do not trust a voice or face alone on a call that asks for a wire. Confirm it by calling back on a number you already have.
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