US prosecutors in Manhattan have charged three men with using AI to impersonate company chief executives and lawyers at major law firms, in a scheme they say took more than $129m from businesses between 2024 and 2026.
According to the case announced on 5 November by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, staff who could approve large payments were contacted by “the CEO” about a confidential deal, then passed to a supposed lawyer. Prosecutors say both were fakes, using AI to mimic real people’s voices and images. Losses listed include about $11.6m from a UK fintech company, $4.8m from a Missouri hospital system and $2.7m from a Rhode Island bank.
Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan and Guy Sheetrit were arrested in Spain and the UK this year, and the US has asked for their extradition. The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
Why it matters: deepfake fraud has moved from one-off scam calls to organised schemes aimed at finance teams. The best defence is a process, not a gut feeling: confirm any unusual payment request through a number you already know, and never let secrecy or urgency skip a second sign-off. The same week, the Justice Department launched a Super Intelligence Task Force to pursue criminal and foreign misuse of advanced AI.
Source: US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, US Department of Justice