Deepak Gupta

Business payment fraud (BEC) · Also called deepfake video conference scam, fake executive video call, AI video BEC, virtual meeting BEC

Deepfake CFO video call fraud

Deepfake CFO video call fraud is a business email compromise scam in which criminals invite an employee to a video meeting where the chief financial officer or other executives appear, but their faces or voices are AI fakes or still images. On the call, the fake executives instruct the employee to make urgent, confidential transfers.

How it works

An email from a hacked or spoofed executive account invites an employee to a video meeting, sometimes on a platform the company does not normally use.
On the call, the executive appears as a still picture, with deepfake audio, or as AI-generated video, and may claim their camera or sound is not working.
The fake executive, sometimes with fake colleagues, explains an urgent and confidential deal.
Instructions to transfer money arrive in the meeting chat or a follow-up email, and the employee sends the funds.

Red flags

An executive invites you to a video meeting on a platform your company does not normally use.
The executive's video is frozen or a still image, or they say their audio is not working, and instructions come by chat.
Faces or voices look or sound slightly wrong, such as lag, indistinct or irregular faces, unrealistic teeth or eyes, or unnatural movement.
You are asked to make an urgent, confidential payment that skips your normal approval process.

If you are targeted

Stop: end the call and do not send any payment it asked for.
Call the executive on a number from your company directory to check the request.
Call your bank at once and ask it to recall the payment; the FBI also suggests asking for a Hold Harmless Letter or Letter of Indemnity.
Report it. Our Report a scam page lists where to report in your country, such as ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.

Where to report, by country

Prevention

For individuals

Verify any payment instruction from a call by hanging up and calling the person on a number you find yourself.
Be wary of meetings on unfamiliar platforms or from unexpected invitations, even if familiar faces appear.
Never skip your normal approval steps because the request came on a video call.

For organisations

Require an out-of-band callback to a directory number before any payment instructed on a call or by message is released.
Require two independent approvals for large payments and new payees, and state that nobody, however senior, can waive them.
Train finance staff with realistic examples, and make clear they will not be blamed for stopping a payment to check it.

Step-by-step controls: the implementation guide

By the numbers

Figures are for the reporting category this scam falls under, not this scam alone.

Business email compromise losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025	$3.05B	US, 2025, FBI IC3
Losses in FBI IC3 complaints mentioning AI in 2025 (overlaps other categories, never summed)	$893.3M	US, 2025, FBI IC3

Real cases

2024-01 · HK · Disclosed · HK$200M stolen
Arup Hong Kong deepfake CFO video call fraud, 2024Unconfirmed by a primary source

Delivered through: Spear phishing

How official datasets classify it

FBI IC3: Business Email Compromise
UK Finance: CEO fraud
Scamwatch: Business email compromise scams
MITRE ATT&CK: T1684.001, T1657

Questions

Can criminals really fake an executive on a live video call?: Yes. The FBI warns that criminals generate video for real-time chats with alleged company executives, and has reported BEC scams using virtual meetings with still images or deepfake audio.
How do we stop deepfake video call fraud?: Rely on process rather than spotting the fake: call the executive back on a directory number before paying, and require independent approvals that no caller can waive.