Deepfake
Synthetic audio or video that imitates a real person. Applied to fraud, it turns a video call or voice note into an impersonation tool.
Full definition
A deepfake is AI-generated audio or video content that convincingly imitates the voice or image of a real person. Applied to corporate fraud, it lets an attacker appear on a video call or send a voice note with an executive's face and voice.
The typical criminal use case complements BEC and vishing: the victim doubts the email requesting a transfer, and the fake call or video call from the boss dissolves that doubt. A few seconds of public audio are enough to clone a voice well enough for phone fraud.
Defense cannot rely on spotting the fake by eye. It relies on process: alternate verification channels, agreed code words, and the rule that no payment instruction is executed just because a familiar face or voice requested it.
Related terms
Vishing
Social engineering over a phone call. The attacker poses as tech support, a bank or a vendor to obtain access or payments in real time.
Business email compromise (BEC)
Fraud where the attacker poses as an executive or vendor from a legitimate or spoofed mailbox to divert payments or data. It usually carries no malware.
Whaling
Spear phishing aimed at executives with signing power or privileged access. It goes after payments, strategic information or the executive's own mailbox.
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