Deepfake Scams Target U.S. Officials and Crypto Founders

AI Summary

According to Cointelegraph, hackers utilizing deepfake technology are targeting U.S. federal and state officials by impersonating senior government figures in a sophisticated phishing campaign aimed at stealing sensitive data. The FBI issued a warning on May 15, highlighting that these cybercriminals have been active since April, employing deepfake voice and text messages to deceive victims. The agency cautioned against assuming the authenticity of messages purportedly from senior U.S. officials, as compromised accounts could lead to further targeting of government personnel and their contacts using trusted information obtained through these scams.

The FBI detailed that the hackers are attempting to access victims' accounts by directing them to malicious links and hacker-controlled platforms designed to harvest sensitive data such as passwords. Additionally, contact information acquired through social engineering tactics could be exploited to impersonate individuals and solicit information or funds. In a separate incident, Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of the blockchain platform Polygon, reported on May 13 that he was targeted in a deepfake scam. Nailwal expressed concern over the attack vector, noting that several individuals contacted him via Telegram, questioning whether he was on a Zoom call and requesting them to install a script.