Milan: A high-profile Italian businessman became the victim of a sophisticated scam that used artificial intelligence to clone the voice of Italy’s Defence Minister, Guido Crosetto. The elaborate fraud led to nearly €1 million (£870,000) being transferred to scammers before authorities tracked and froze the funds in a foreign bank account.
AI-Generated Voice Dupes Prominent Businessman
The fraudsters employed AI technology to perfectly mimic Crosetto’s voice, making convincing calls in which they requested urgent financial assistance. They claimed the funds were needed to secure the release of kidnapped Italian journalists in the Middle East.
Several of Italy’s top business figures, including fashion moguls Giorgio Armani and Prada co-founder Patrizio Bertelli, were targeted. However, only Massimo Moratti, the former owner of Inter Milan football club, reportedly fell for the scheme and transferred the money.
Funds Traced to the Netherlands
Initially, officials believed the stolen funds would be difficult to recover, but on Wednesday, they announced that the money had been successfully tracked to a Dutch bank account and frozen.
“I’m very pleased that the money fraudulently taken from an entrepreneur, using my falsified voice and name, has been traced to a Dutch account and completely frozen,” Crosetto stated on X, praising the investigative work of authorities.
Moratti had sent two payments totaling almost €1 million under the false impression that the Bank of Italy would later reimburse him. After realizing he had been scammed, he filed a legal complaint last week.
“It all seemed real. They were good. It could happen to anyone,” Moratti admitted in an interview with La Repubblica.
How the Scam Worked
The con artists posed as officials from Italy’s defence ministry and used technology to spoof government phone numbers, making their calls appear legitimate. They then transferred the call to an AI-generated voice impersonating Crosetto, who requested the money while claiming that the government couldn’t be directly involved in the transaction.
Crosetto later confirmed that artificial intelligence had been used to clone his voice, highlighting the increasing danger of AI-driven fraud.
A Wake-Up Call for Cybersecurity
The case underscores the growing threat of AI-powered scams and raises concerns about the ability of criminals to exploit technology for financial fraud. Authorities are now working to strengthen security measures and warn businesses about the risks of AI voice-cloning scams.
