Three Men Charged With Using AI to Pose as CEOs and Lawyers
US prosecutors say three foreign nationals used AI-altered voices and images to impersonate executives and attorneys and took more than $129m from firms.
US prosecutors have charged three men with using artificial intelligence to pose as chief executives and lawyers. They say the scheme took more than $129m from companies around the world.
How the alleged scheme worked
An indictment newly unsealed by the US Department of Justice says the men used AI to make employees believe they were dealing with executives and attorneys at various companies. Their targets were employees.
The pitch began with a fake executive. That person told an employee that help was needed with a sensitive financial transaction. The employee was then told to contact lawyers at a large international law firm. A man posing as one of those lawyers got the employee to wire a large sum.
Arrests in Spain and the UK
The Southern District of New York named the three as Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan and Guy Sheetrit, all foreign nationals. Soall and Hazan were arrested in Spain over the summer. Sheetrit was arrested in the United Kingdom in September. The alleged fraud ran from 2024 to 2026.
Prosecutors say Soall and Hazan also went by several aliases.
Who lost money
The DoJ lists victims across several sectors. A hospital system based in Missouri lost nearly $5m. A Rhode Island bank lost about $2.7m. A California hospital system lost about $3m. A Massachusetts mutual fund lost over $4.6m, and a Florida pet food company about $5m. A UK tech company lost more than $11m.
The men allegedly directed employees to wire money to accounts in the US, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Austria, Slovakia and China. Once the money arrived, they converted it into cryptocurrency, according to the DoJ, to hide where it came from and who controlled it. Proceeds were then split among the men and their co-conspirators.
What officials said
In a statement, US attorney Jamie McDonald welcomed the promise of AI but warned that some users may point the technology at crime.
James C Barnacle Jr, the FBI assistant director in charge, said the alleged scheme "demonstrates how the use of advanced technology can be exploited to commit large-scale fraud." He added that the FBI intends to adapt quickly to identify and disrupt people who use emerging technologies to harm businesses.
The men face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, several counts of money-laundering conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.
Source: the Guardian