Three suspects arrested for AI-powered impersonation scheme costing victims $129M
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- US authorities indicted three men over an alleged AI-powered impersonation scheme that stole more than $129 million.
- Prosecutors say the suspects used deepfakes of executives and lawyers to pressure employees into wiring money.
- The funds moved through accounts in nine countries before being converted into cryptocurrency, according to the indictment.
- The suspects face wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering charges, with extradition requests pending.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
The US authorities have indicted three men for their alleged participation in a scheme to use AI to defraud companies worldwide.
According to the indictment, Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan, Guy Sheetrit, and their co-conspirators created deepfakes of corporate executives at numerous companies and attorneys at major law firms to trick employees into sending large payments to bank accounts worldwide that were controlled by members of the fraud scheme.
The suspects approached employees of the companies they targeted. By mimicking their voice and image in calls, they posed as the businesses' CEOs, telling the workers they needed their cooperation to carry out a confidential financial transaction.
Next, Soall, Hazan, and Sheetrit directed the workers to contact lawyers at large international law firms, who were supposedly working on the transaction.
To make the fraud scheme more plausible, the suspects and co-conspirators would then impersonate those lawyers.
Lastly, they ordered the employee to wire large sums of money into bank accounts in Austria, China, Greece, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, all of which were controlled by members of the conspiracy.
Once the money was transferred, it was converted into cryptocurrency to conceal the source and distributed among themselves and their co-conspirators.
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Ultimately, the scammers stole more than $129 million from victim companies in the United States and around the world.
“The alleged scheme orchestrated by Soall, Hazan, and Sheetrit demonstrates how the use of advanced technology can be exploited to commit large-scale fraud. As criminals continue to weaponize emerging technologies, the FBI remains committed to rapidly adapting our capabilities to identify, investigate, and disrupt those who seek to harm New Yorkers and businesses operating in our communities,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. said in a statement.
Soall, Hazan, and Sheetrit are accused of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering. If found guilty, they could face a prison sentence of up to 104 years.
Soall and Hazan were arrested in Spain on June 17th, 2026, and August 5th, 2026, respectively. Sheetrit was apprehended in the United Kingdom on September 7th, 2026. Their extradition requests are currently pending.
