May 18th 2024.
The renowned British company, Arup, known for its impressive architectural designs, including the iconic Sydney Opera House, recently fell victim to a deepfake scam. It was reported that one of their employees in Hong Kong was tricked into transferring a whopping $USD25 million to fraudsters. A spokesperson for the company confirmed that they had alerted the Hong Kong police about the incident in January and revealed that the scammers had used fake voices and images to carry out their deceitful act.
The spokesperson, however, could not provide further details as the case was still under investigation. They did, however, assure that the company's financial stability and business operations were not affected, and none of their internal systems were compromised. The police in Hong Kong also confirmed the incident, stating that the employee, who worked in the finance department, was lured into a video call with individuals pretending to be senior staff members, including the CFO. Little did he know, they were all deepfake replicas.
The employee initially had doubts as the email he received appeared to be a phishing attempt from the company's UK office, requesting a confidential transaction. But his suspicions were put to rest during the video call, as the scammers had expertly replicated his colleagues' voices and appearances. This led him to transfer a total of 200 million Hong Kong dollars in 15 separate transactions. Thankfully, the company's swift action and the employee's vigilance prevented further losses.
The term "deepfake" refers to fabricated videos created using AI technology, which are almost indistinguishable from real footage. Earlier this year, there were reports of AI-generated pornographic images of popular singer Taylor Swift circulating on social media, highlighting the dangers of this technology. Unfortunately, this incident with Arup is not an isolated one, as many businesses worldwide have fallen prey to similar attacks, including invoice fraud, phishing scams, and deepfake impersonations.
Arup's global chief information officer, Rob Greig, stated that the number and sophistication of these attacks have been increasing exponentially in recent months. This has become a cause of concern for authorities worldwide, who fear the potential misuse of deepfake technology. In response, the company's East Asia regional chairman, Michael Kwok, issued a memo urging everyone to stay informed and alert about different techniques used by scammers. Kwok, who recently returned to his role, also emphasized the need to be vigilant as these attacks are becoming more frequent and sophisticated.
It is worth mentioning that Arup, with its 18,500 employees and 34 offices globally, has played a significant role in some of the world's most iconic structures, such as the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing, used for the 2008 Olympic Games. The company's former chairman, Andy Lee, who had been with Arup for 26 years, announced his departure earlier this month. As the investigation into the deepfake scam continues, businesses and individuals must remain cautious and educated about the evolving nature of these fraudulent schemes.
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