Warning: Deepfake CEO and executive video calls authorising fraudulent transfers

Incidents involving deepfake video calls targeting company finance and accounts-payable staff have been reported across multiple sectors. In this pattern, an employee receives what appears to be a legitimate video conference call featuring a realistic AI-generated likeness of their chief executive, chief financial officer, or another senior figure, along with possibly other convincing participants.

The 'executive' conveys urgency, confidentiality, and a plausible business reason — a merger, a regulatory payment, or a time-sensitive deal — before directing the employee to transfer funds to a specified account. Social engineering and the authority of the visual and audio deception are designed to suppress the normal approval process.

Organisations should establish out-of-band verification procedures for any payment instruction received via video call, regardless of how convincing the participants look or sound. A quick call to the real executive on a known number before acting can stop a transfer.