The Decibel cover image

The Decibel

How scammers deepfake businesses

Feb 28, 2025
Alexandra Posadski, a financial and cybersecurity reporter for The Globe, dives into the alarming rise of deepfake scams targeting both individuals and businesses. She discusses how scammers use generative AI to create convincing fake identities, often leading to significant financial losses. The podcast reveals the urgent need for better regulations and offers practical tips, like establishing a family passcode system, to protect against these impersonation scams. Alexandra sheds light on both the dark implications of this technology and emerging solutions to combat these threats.
19:24

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Scammers are increasingly using generative AI deepfakes to impersonate individuals and deceive businesses into transferring substantial amounts of money.
  • Implementing protective measures like establishing passcodes and verifying requests can significantly help individuals and organizations avoid deepfake scams.

Deep dives

The Mechanics of Deepfake Scams

Scammers often target elderly individuals, leveraging urgency to trick them into providing money. They start by identifying a victim and gathering voice samples from available social media or direct interactions. Using these samples, they clone the individual's voice with deepfake technology, creating a convincing impersonation. A typical strategy includes a fraudulent call that creates a sense of emergency, prompting the victim to act quickly and send money, often resulting in significant financial loss.

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
App store bannerPlay store banner