Since the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve seen a significant rise in the number of online meetings and video calls where high-stakes decisions are made. Apps like Zoom and Google Meet have made it easy to talk to people visually in real time. But what if the person on the other end of the screen isn’t who they claim to be? What if the person on the other end isn’t really a person at all! This is a frightening reality. As deepfake technology grows more advanced and more realistic, executives, CEOs, and high-income individuals have become prime targets for a new kind of attack. These deepfake video call security breaches, where AI-generated impersonations can happen to anyone at any time, are a serious concern that can negatively affect the entire company.
In this article, you’ll learn how to recognize the signs of AI deception, implement practical measures to secure executive communications, and explore the latest tools in deepfake video call security. Stick with me, and we’ll sift through the signs of visual deception, explore smart ways to lock down your executive calls, and go over the tools that can help you stay one step ahead. Whether you’re a CEO, an assistant, or part of the security team, this guide will show you how to avoid becoming the next global headline. So let’s get to it!
The Rise of Deepfake Video Call Scams in Corporate Settings
Deepfake technology has moved far beyond someone on YouTube creating silly viral celebrity impersonations. In the business world, it now poses a serious threat. As the technology continues to advance, there has been an increase in the number of deepfake scams. According to a major financial research firm, Deloitte, AI-generated content caused more than $12 billion in fraud losses in 2018. This number could hit $40 billion in the U.S. by 2027.
These deepfake video call scams are designed to deceive, manipulate, and defraud, usually with devastating consequences. Just imagine transferring millions of dollars based on a conversation with a fake CFO, or leaking confidential data to an AI-generated version of a trusted colleague.
These AI-generated impersonations are already being used to target executives to achieve high-value fraud, manipulate business decisions, and compromise sensitive corporate data.
As an example, Trend Micro reported in 2024 that in a very public case, scammers used a deepfake CFO of a global company in Hong Kong to authorize a $35 million transfer. The employees really thought they were talking to their actual boss on a video call, but it was a fake. When you combine this with ingenious social engineering strategies, fraud becomes a seamless process. I’ll provide more real-life examples in a later section.
Image by Freepik
Why Executives Are Prime Targets for Deepfake Video Call Scams
This is pretty obvious, because executives aren’t just any employee; they are, arguably, the most valuable and visible members of any organization. Attackers aren’t randomly choosing victims. They’re targeting leadership because that’s where the biggest payouts lie. Due to theft and extortion, executives must always be on the lookout for these deepfake scams. This makes them the attractive targets for deepfake impersonation due to the following:
1. High-Value Access
Executives often have access to very strategic and sensitive company information, including financial accounts, sensitive business data and confidential business strategies. These kinds of information usually shape the direction of the company.
2. Public Presence
Their speeches, interviews, online videos, and social media presence can easily be found online. These can all be utilized to train realistic deepfake models to better impersonate the executive.
3. Authority Influence
The directives of a CEO or other high-ranking executive within a company are rarely questioned. This type of influence greatly simplifies the process of acting upon fraudulent approvals or requests, because if an employee gets a directive from the CEO or CFO, they’ll most likely follow through with the request.
4. Their Image is Powerful
If a fake video showing an executive making controversial or damaging statements ever gets out, it could cause serious financial, legal, and PR consequences.
How to Detect a Deepfake During a Video Call
Spotting a deepfake in real-time can be tricky, especially as technology continues to improve. But deepfakes still have a few telltale signs. There are subtle visual or behavioral cues that can tip off a trained eye. Here’s what to look for during a video call:
1. Unnatural Blinking or Stiff Facial Expressions
AI-generated faces tend to struggle to replicate natural blinking patterns or subtle muscle shifts. Observe how the facial emotions are realistic and rhythmic. However, as technology evolves, spotting these signs will be harder.
2. Audio doesn’t match the lip movements
One of the more common giveaways is poor synchronization between audio and mouth movement. Even a slight delay or misalignment could indicate that the person on the screen could be an AI impersonation.
3. No natural reactions or background movement
If you’ve ever been on a video call, you’ll notice that most video calls show someone adjusting things like their chair, reacting to the conversation, or having slight delays. Deepfakes don’t usually behave in this manner and appear stiff or robotic. Watch for things like limited head movements, the absence of hand gestures, or not reacting as a normal human would during a conversation.
4. Low video quality despite high-end equipment
Scammers like to intentionally lower the resolution during the call. Intentionally reducing the resolution of the deepfake rendering blurs imperfections and hides flaws. If you notice this, it can be a definite red flag, especially if you’re accustomed to using high-definition video.
5. Generic responses to complex or personal questions
If someone seems evasive, overly vague, or fails to recall key details, it may indicate that the conversation is being controlled by a script or pre-generated AI model. In many instances, if the Ai can’t compute a natural response, it will frequently fall back on generic phrases. Some generic phrases may be “That’s a good question—let me get back to you on that,” We’ll circle back to that later,” “I’m not sure if I have that information right now.”, “Let’s stay focused on the bigger picture,” “I think we should discuss that offline.”, “I’ll follow up via email.”
6. Glitches in lighting or visual artifacts
Deepfake renderings can sometimes distort lighting around the face, particularly when someone moves quickly or turns their head.
Training teams to recognize these signs can make a real difference. Encourage your staff to slow down and question anything that feels a bit off. Have them always verify suspicious calls through a secondary communication method, such as an actual phone call or an encrypted messaging platform, or better yet, meet with the person face-to-face to verify the request.
Image by Freepik
Best Practices for Deepfake Video Call Security
So what can you do to avoid being a victim of a deepfake video call? You must understand that deepfake video call security requires a multi-layered approach. Try these steps:
Use MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) for Meeting Access: Don’t just go with a calendar invite. Add layers of security with SMS codes, biometrics, or hardware tokens for joining secure meetings. And require two or more verification steps to ensure that only authorized participants are even allowed to attend the meeting.
Implement Call-Back Verification Protocols: For any discussion regarding sensitive information or the movement of funds, always confirm with a quick phone call to a verified number. It only takes a minute but can save you a lot of headaches.
Limit Access to Executive Calendars: Reduce exposure by restricting calendar visibility, making it harder for attackers to time their deepfake attempts.
Train Staff to Spot Social Engineering Red Flags: I did a complete guide to cybersecurity training for employees, where I covered techniques to prevent getting trapped with social engineering. Your employees need to be educated on the psychological manipulation techniques that usually accompany deepfake impersonations.
Use Deepfake Detection Tools like Intel’s FakeCatcher or Reality Defender: Using Ai to detect AI! Sounds a bit counterintuitive, but there are AI-powered detection software that can scan live video for any signs of manipulation.
Each of these protective measures helps ensure that a familiar face on screen is who they claim to be.
Deepfake Detection Tools
Let’s take a closer look at some deepfake detection tools that can integrate with popular video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet.
Reality Defender: This platform offers real-time detection and alerts for synthetic media across multiple platforms, including browser-based meetings like Google Meet, using advanced AI models.
Microsoft Video Authenticator: While built by Microsoft, its underlying technology can inspire cross-platform solutions and security protocols. It can evaluate still images and video streams and will assign a deepfake likelihood score.
Deepware Scanner: Designed to scan both live and recorded video, flagging anomalies in motion and texture. This tool can be used alongside most conferencing tools, including Google Meet. These tools are evolving rapidly as demand increases for reliable AI fraud prevention technology.
How Executives Can Prevent Deepfake Attacks
Executive leadership must play an active role in securing remote communication. Here’s how:
Establish a protocol for verifying video calls within your C-suite: Formalize how individuals are confirmed before any sensitive discussions take place. The procedure could be as simple as secure phrases, unique IDs, or timed callbacks.
Work with IT to identify deepfake risks for business executives. Don’t wait until there’s an issue. Work with your cybersecurity team to assess vulnerabilities and design proactive safeguards.
Make reporting easy. Encourage employees to report anything unusual. Ensure they know how to flag suspicious calls instantly without fear of retaliation or embarrassment. The sooner a threat is reported, the faster it can be stopped.
Run regular simulations: Just like fire drills, run deepfake response scenarios to test your team’s preparedness in detecting and responding to impersonation attempts. The more your team practices, the less likely they are to succumb, panic, or freeze when faced with a real threat.
Examples of Deepfake Video Call Fraud in the Real World
Now let’s investigate some terrifying real-life incidents of deepfake scams. These incidents demonstrate quite vividly the escalating threat posed by deepfake technology in corporate environments. And really emphasizes the need for strong verification protocols and employee training to detect and prevent such scams.
Hong Kong Company Defrauded of $25 Million via Deepfake Video Call (2024)
One of the most high-profile deepfake scams, which I briefly mentioned earlier, occurred in Hong Kong in early 2024. This is when an employee of a multinational company, who believed she was talking to the company’s CFO, was tricked into transferring $25 million during a video conference.
The scammers used deepfake technology to create realistic avatars of the company’s CFO and other executives, instructing the employee to make the transfer. The attackers even recreated multiple participants in a group call, making the deception even more convincing. Unfortunately, the scam was discovered only after the funds had been transferred.
UK Energy Firm CEO Scammed Through AI Voice Cloning (2019)
In 2019, the CEO of an energy company in the UK got a call from a person he thought was his boss, the CEO of the company’s German parent company. The CEO was directed to transfer €220,000 (about $243,000 US dollars) to a supplier’s bank account by the caller, who used AI-based voice cloning. After complying and sending the money, the CEO found out it was a scam.
WPP CEO Targeted in Elaborate Deepfake Scam (2024)
On the receiving end of a sophisticated deepfake fraud was Mark Read, the chief executive officer of WPP, the largest advertising firm in the world. Scammers created a WhatsApp account using Read’s image and attempted to set up a Microsoft Teams meeting, utilizing deepfake technology to impersonate him. Fortunately, WPP employees were vigilant, and the deepfake scam was thwarted before any damage was done.
Arup Engineering Firm Loses $25 Million in Deepfake Attack (2024)
In early 2024, UK engineering firm Arup fell victim to a deepfake scam, where an employee was tricked into transferring $25 million. The scammers used AI-generated deepfake videos of senior management during a video call to convince the employee to authorize the transfer. The incident highlighted the increasing sophistication of these deepfake scams.
Elon Musk Deepfake Used in Investment Scam (2024)
In 2024, scammers used deepfake technology to create very convincing videos of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. In the video, Musk can be seen promoting investment strategies in cryptocurrency, but it wasn’t Musk. These videos were disseminated across social media platforms, leading individuals to believe they were legitimate endorsements from Musk himself. Unfortunately, such a video deceived an 82-year-old retiree, Steve Beauchamp, into investing $690,000, which he eventually lost.
What to Do If You Suspect a Deepfake Video Call
If you think the caller is a deepfake, do this:
Immediately end the session: Don’t continue with the conversation, and definitely don’t share any sensitive information.
Report the incident to your cybersecurity team: Your cybersecurity team can conduct a thorough investigation to determine if a wider threat is present or if anyone else was targeted prior to the incident.
Do not share sensitive data or authorize any transactions. Even if the caller seems legitimate, do not send or divulge any sensitive information. Make sure and verify everything offline first.
Request identity confirmation via a secure, secondary method: Use an old-fashioned phone call or an encrypted message to confirm if the person is legitimate.
Conclusion
We’re certainly living in intriguing times, where seeing isn’t always believing. Deepfake video call security has become a must-have in your executive protection strategy. Despite the rapid advancement of deepfake technology, the good news is that it also leads to the development of tools and practices that keep you safe. You can implement Deepfake video call security by using Ai powered smart tools, building strong verification policies, and keeping your teams trained and alert, you can stay ahead of the threat.
Key Points
Deepfakes are being used to impersonate execs during live video calls, putting organizations at serious risk
Tools like Reality Defender and Microsoft Video Authenticator can help detect synthetic media in real time
During remote meetings and video calls, executive communication must include verification protocols and cybersecurity awareness
Quick response can eliminate or reduce the impact of a deepfake scam before any damage is done
Training, communication, and collaboration between leadership and IT are essential
What would you do if you weren’t sure the person on your next call was real? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
