HONG KONG (dpa-AFX) - In a new deepfake incident in Hong Kong, an employee at an unnamed multinational corporation was deceived into transferring $200 million Hong Kong dollars, equivalent to $25.6 million.
Hong Kong police have apprehended six individuals in relation to the scam thus far, but the company and its employees involved have not been revealed.
The scammers posed as the company's CFO based in the United Kingdom to contact the worker. Despite initial doubts about the discreet transactions, the worker was convinced by the deepfake technology, as he engaged with the 'CFO' and other familiar colleagues during the video call, who were likely deepfake creations made from public video clips of real individuals.
The deepfakes instructed the worker to introduce himself and then instructed him to carry out 15 transfers totaling $25.6 million to five local bank accounts urgently before abruptly ending the call. A week later, the employee cross-checked the request internally and discovered the deception.
'(In the) multi-person video conference, it turns out that everyone [he saw] was fake,' senior superintendent Baron Chan Shun-ching told the city's public broadcaster RTHK.
Chan revealed that these individuals obtained eight identification cards, initiated 54 bank account registrations, and submitted 90 loan applications in 2023. Additionally, they used deepfakes to trick facial recognition technology at least 20 times.
The growing use of deepfakes raises concerns about the progress of AI technology. Notably, in January, deepfakes were used to produce fake identities of public figures such as Taylor Swift and President Joe Biden. Global authorities are increasingly worried about the sophistication of deepfake technology and its potential for malicious exploitation.
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