Scammers used AI-powered digital manipulation to impersonate company executives and government officials on video calls, tricking employees into transferring substantial funds from corporate bank accounts and disclosing personal information.
The Singapore Police Force, Monetary Authority of Singapore, and Cyber Security Agency of Singapore reported incidents where scammers used AI-powered digital manipulation to alter their appearances during video calls. Victims received unsolicited WhatsApp messages from scammers claiming to be executives from their companies, inviting them to join live-streamed Zoom video calls. During these calls, digital manipulation was used to make the scammers appear as high-ranking company executives and sometimes MAS officials or potential investors. The scammers instructed victims to transfer substantial amounts of funds from corporate bank accounts to designated accounts under the pretext of business payments such as project financing or investments. Some victims were also asked to disclose personal information including NRIC and passport details. Victims realized they had been scammed when the perpetrators became uncontactable or when they verified with actual company executives and legal counsel who confirmed they had not participated in any such calls or authorized transfers. Authorities are advising businesses to establish verification protocols for video calls and check for signs of AI manipulation.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to gain a personal advantage over others such as through cheating, fraud, scams, blackmail or targeted manipulation of beliefs or behavior. Examples include AI-facilitated plagiarism for research or education, impersonating a trusted or fake individual for illegitimate financial benefit, or creating humiliating or sexual imagery.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed