Three men were arrested for allegedly using AI to fake executives and lawyers, and prosecutors say they took more than $129 million from companies worldwide.
Three men have been arrested over a scheme that allegedly used AI to copy the voices and faces of company executives and lawyers. According to the Department of Justice, they stole more than $129 million from companies around the world, including in the US.
The US attorney's office for the southern district of New York names the men as Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan and Guy Sheetrit. Authorities say they posed as a company executive and told an employee they needed help with a sensitive financial transaction. The employee was then sent to talk with lawyers at a large international law firm. The men allegedly played those lawyers too, and had the employee wire a large amount of money. The alleged fraud ran from 2024 to 2026.
Soall and Hazan were arrested in Spain over the summer. Sheetrit was arrested in the United Kingdom in September.
The scheme builds trust in two steps. A familiar boss asks for help, then a lawyer seems to confirm the request. A voice or face that seems right is no longer proof. Anyone who handles payments is the likely target. People with no part in moving money face less direct risk. The steps in the alert box above cover what to do.
The material does not say how many companies were hit, which law firm was copied, or how the case will move through court. These are allegations at this stage.
A familiar voice or face is not proof of identity, so verify any request to move money through a channel you already trust.
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