Singapore victim loses US$3.8 million in deepfake Zoom scam impersonating Prime Minister Lawrence Wong
Published · updated · curated by AI Is Going Just Great
Source: scmp.com ↗
Victims would be invited to a Zoom video conference – fabricated using deepfake AI technology – that appeared to involve Wong, as well as other local and overseas government officials.
A sophisticated deepfake scam in Singapore lured victims into fabricated Zoom video conferences appearing to feature Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and a cast of international officials from Canada, the UAE, BlackRock, and the Dubai International Financial Centre — all AI-generated. The hook: a fake Strait of Hormuz crisis requiring urgent funding help.
At least one victim lost S$4.9 million (US$3.8 million) after receiving a WhatsApp message from someone posing as the cabinet secretary, directing them to the bogus meeting. Singapore Police have now obtained footage of the fabricated conference — a reminder that 'seeing is believing' is no longer a safe heuristic.