Hackers stole $35 million from the bank by faking the voice of an important client

Forbes has received information about the cooperation of American investigators with their colleagues from the UAE, who are trying to find traces of money stolen using deepfake technology. The crime itself occurred at the beginning of 2020, but the attackers so cleverly confused the tracks that they are still looking for money. If the data is confirmed, it will be the second case in history of using deep voice forgery to rob a bank.

It is reported that the bank manager received a phone call from the head of a large organization serviced by him. The employee heard the well-known voice of the client, and therefore did not doubt the identity of the speaker – but in vain. As it turned out, the sounds were created by AI using deepfake technology, just for this particular case. The imaginary director gave instructions to transfer different amounts to several accounts in foreign banks – allegedly payments for the services of counterparties.

In total, $35 million was stolen, which was repeatedly transferred between accounts to confuse the tracks. In particular, American investigators were asked to find a tranche of $ 400,000, but the media has no information that this was done. It was found that at least 17 specialists in the field of IT security and finance were active in the group of robbers. Judging by the fact that there is no data on arrests, the operation to steal money was completed successfully. And this means that deepfakes will now surely become a popular tool for criminals.