Fraudsters in Italy Used AI to Fake Defence Minister’s Voice to Steal Money from Leading Business Figures
In Italy, fraudsters used artificial intelligence to fake the voice of Defence Minister Guido Crozetto and his staff to convince prominent Italian businessmen to transfer money abroad, Bloomberg reports.
Among the victims of the scam were Prada SpA co-chairman Patrizio Bertelli, fashion designer Giorgio Armani, and executive vice chairman of Pirelli & C. Marco Tronchetti Provera, and billionaire Massimo Moratti, the former owner of Inter Milan football club.
The fraudsters demanded money, allegedly for the ransom of Italian citizens held in prisons or kidnapped in Iran and Syria. Such cases began to be reported shortly after the release of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who was held in a Tehran prison.
Moratti confirmed that he had transferred an unspecified amount after receiving the request.
Last week, Crozetto himself wrote on Twitter that he had become aware of the fraudsters' contacts with a “large businessman” asking for financial assistance.
The minister said he had reported the situation to law enforcement and judicial authorities.
Meanwhile, the Third International Summit on Artificial Intelligence, organised jointly with India, has started in France.