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Scammers reportedly used artificial intelligence (AI) to impersonate Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and request massive sums of money. According to Italian news outlet L’Unione Sarda, the fraudsters targeted wealthy professionals and entrepreneurs, calling them from what appeared to be a legitimate number and even using the minister’s voice.
To make their scheme more convincing, they used the recent case of journalist Cecilia Sala, who was held in an Iranian prison, but was then released as part of a prisoner swap. They claimed the money, in amounts reaching up to a million euros, was needed to help secure the release of other reporters supposedly kidnapped in the Middle East, specifically in Iran or Syria.
Some of Italy’s most high-profile figures were among the targets of this elaborate AI scam. Prada SpA co-CEO Patrizio Bertelli, renowned fashion designer Giorgio Armani, Pirelli & C. SpA Executive Vice Chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera, and billionaire Massimo Moratti, the former owner of Inter Milan, all fell within the fraudsters’ sights.
Italy’s defense minister raises awareness about ongoing AI scam
Moratti confirmed to La Repubblica that he had transferred an unspecified sum of money after being contacted, unaware that he was being deceived.
Crosetto took to X to reveal that he had contacted the police and the judiciary about the matter. In a translated statement, he wrote: “I’m using this platform to raise awareness about a serious ongoing scam.”
He went on to say that the incident had begun on Tuesday (Feb. 4) when a well-known entrepreneur contacted Crosetto’s office, asking for his number. Since he already had the entrepreneur’s contact details, he dismissed the situation as a one-off. However, an hour later, the individual disclosed that he had transferred a substantial sum of money to an account provided by this so-called “General.”
This prompted the politician to inform the authorities, even as similar incidents occurred in the following days.
He concluded: “I prefer to make this public to ensure that no one else falls into this trap.”
AI-generated deepfake audio is being used more and more to scam wealthy individuals and business executives into wiring money. In May last year, ReadWrite reported that British engineering firm Arup stated it was the victim of a serious deepfake scam after $25 million was sent to fraudsters.
Featured image: Canva / Grok
