A finance employee at UK engineering firm Arup's Hong Kong office was invited to a video conference in which every other participant, including the company's UK-based CFO, was a real-time AI deepfake. Convinced by the familiar faces and voices, the employee made 15 transfers to fraudster-controlled accounts.
AIC-0001 S5 · Critical
Arup $25M deepfake CFO video-call fraud (Hong Kong)
- Harm
- HK$200 million (~US$25.6 million) stolen across 15 transactions in one day; none of the funds recovered as of early 2025.
- Detection
- The employee later contacted Arup's real head office about the 'secret transaction'; executives confirmed no such meeting or authorization had occurred, exposing the fraud.
- Outcome
- Hong Kong police investigation opened; no arrests or recovery publicly reported. Arup disclosed itself as the victim in May 2024.
A documented entry in the AI Crime Registry, a Defici non-profit initiative. Sourced from public reporting; corrections: [email protected].