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Italian dm discovers scammers used AI technology to impersonate his voice
(MENAFN) Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto recently discovered that scammers used AI technology to impersonate his voice in an attempt to extort money from Italy’s wealthiest business figures. Crosetto publicly revealed the scam on Thursday, warning that several prominent individuals had been targeted by imposters posing as him.
The fraudsters sought to exploit the high-profile release of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala from Iranian captivity, claiming that urgent funds were needed for the ransom of other journalists supposedly held in the Middle East. The scam was presented as a matter of national security.
Among the individuals targeted were fashion mogul Giorgio Armani, Prada CEO Patrizio Bertelli, the Aleotti family (owners of Menarini Group), and the Beretta family (known for their firearms business). Although most of the attempts were unsuccessful, billionaire Massimo Moratti, former owner of Inter Milan, admitted to wiring a sum of money after being contacted.
Crosetto shared some lighthearted comments about the incident, joking about the imitation of “masterpieces” circulating. He also revealed that one of the scammers introduced himself as “Giovanni Montalbano,” a name inspired by a popular Italian police procedural series.
Italian authorities have not yet identified the perpetrators, but the scam highlights how advancements in AI voice cloning and cryptocurrency have made fraud schemes more sophisticated and harder to track. According to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), scams involving online and phone fraud are costing over $1 trillion annually, with most of the stolen funds remaining unrecovered.
The fraudsters sought to exploit the high-profile release of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala from Iranian captivity, claiming that urgent funds were needed for the ransom of other journalists supposedly held in the Middle East. The scam was presented as a matter of national security.
Among the individuals targeted were fashion mogul Giorgio Armani, Prada CEO Patrizio Bertelli, the Aleotti family (owners of Menarini Group), and the Beretta family (known for their firearms business). Although most of the attempts were unsuccessful, billionaire Massimo Moratti, former owner of Inter Milan, admitted to wiring a sum of money after being contacted.
Crosetto shared some lighthearted comments about the incident, joking about the imitation of “masterpieces” circulating. He also revealed that one of the scammers introduced himself as “Giovanni Montalbano,” a name inspired by a popular Italian police procedural series.
Italian authorities have not yet identified the perpetrators, but the scam highlights how advancements in AI voice cloning and cryptocurrency have made fraud schemes more sophisticated and harder to track. According to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), scams involving online and phone fraud are costing over $1 trillion annually, with most of the stolen funds remaining unrecovered.
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