Deepfake Video Calls

Real-time video deepfakes have moved from theoretical to operational: there are documented cases of finance employees joining a video call with what appeared to be their company's CFO and multiple colleagues, all deepfaked, and authorizing large transfers as a result. The technology that once required a studio can now run convincingly on a live call.

These scams almost always target a specific, high-value action — a wire transfer, a credential reset, a change to banking details — and rely on the authority and apparent legitimacy of a video call to bypass the skepticism a text or email might trigger. They're usually well-researched, referencing real internal details to seem legitimate.

The defense is procedural, not visual: any request to move money or change sensitive account details should go through a separate, pre-established verification step — a callback, a second approver, a known process — regardless of how convincing the call looked, because by design, it will look convincing.

• The giveaway: An urgent financial request made over video, outside your normal approval process.
• What to do: Verify through a separate, already-established channel — never one suggested during the call.
• For businesses: Require a second approver for wire transfers and banking-detail changes, no exceptions.
• Remember: Looking and sounding real is no longer evidence that a call is real.