Source: Cointelegraph
Original: “FBI Warns: AI Scammers Using Deepfake Technology Targeting U.S. Officials”
Deepfake technology-assisted hackers are now engaging in the latest shameless phishing activities by impersonating senior U.S. officials, targeting federal and state officials in an attempt to steal sensitive data.
According to a warning from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on May 15, these bad actors have been active since April, using deepfake voice messages and text messages to impersonate senior government officials and establish trust with victims.
The agency stated, “If you receive a message claiming to be from a senior U.S. official, do not assume it is genuine.”
The FBI also pointed out that if the accounts of U.S. officials are compromised, the scams could become more severe, as hackers could then “use the trusted contact information they obtain to target other government officials or their associates and contacts.”
As part of these scams, the FBI indicated that hackers attempt to access victims' accounts through malicious links, directing them to platforms or websites controlled by the hackers to steal sensitive data such as passwords.
The agency added, “Contact information obtained through social engineering may also be used to impersonate contacts to extract information or funds.”
In another unrelated deepfake scam, Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of the blockchain platform Polygon, issued a warning in a post on X on May 13, stating that bad actors are also using deepfake technology to impersonate him.
Nailwal expressed that this “attack method is frightening” and made him somewhat uneasy, as several people “called me on Telegram, asking if I wanted to have a Zoom call with them and if I asked them to install a script.”
According to Nailwal, as part of the scam, bad actors hacked the Telegram account of Polygon's venture capital head, Shreyansh, and contacted people asking to join a Zoom call that included deepfake videos of Nailwal, Shreyansh, and a third person.
Nailwal said, “The audio is disabled, and since your voice doesn’t work, the scammers will ask you to install a certain SDK; if you install it, it’s over.”
He also mentioned, “Another issue is that there’s no way to report this to Telegram and get their attention. I understand they can’t handle all these service requests, but there should be a way, perhaps through some social means, to flag a specific account.”
At least one user replied in the comments that scammers had targeted them as well, while Web3 veteran Dovey Wan stated that she had also been deepfaked in a similar scam.
Nailwal suggested that the best way to avoid falling for such scams is to never install anything in online interactions initiated by others and to reserve a separate device specifically for accessing cryptocurrency wallets.
Meanwhile, the FBI recommends verifying the identity of anyone who contacts you, checking all sender addresses for errors or inconsistencies, and looking for distorted hands, feet, or unrealistic facial features in all images and videos.
Additionally, the agency advises never to share sensitive information with people you have never met, not to click on links from unknown individuals, and to set up two-factor or multi-factor authentication.
Related: Report says Tether's USDT blacklist enforcement delays led to $78 million in suspicious funds evading freezing.
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