Criminals used fake video calls to steal money.
British engineering company Arup has confirmed that it was the victim of a deepfake scam, when one of its employees transferred HK $ 200 million (£20 million) to criminals via an artificial intelligence-generated video call.
Hong Kong police said in February that an employee of an unnamed company was deceived and transferred large amounts of money to attackers who posed as company executives.
In a statement, Arup confirmed that it was the victim of fraud, and earlier this year notified the police about the incident in Hong Kong. The company confirmed the use of fake voices and images.
The statement also said that the company's financial stability and business operations were not affected, and internal systems were not compromised.
Rob Greig, chief information officer of Arup, noted that the company is regularly exposed to attacks, including deepfakes.
"Like many other companies around the world, our operations are subject to regular attacks, including account fraud, phishing attacks, WhatsApp voice spoofing, and deepfakes. In recent months, the number and complexity of these attacks has increased significantly," Greig said.
Greig expressed the hope that Arup's experience will help raise awareness of the growing complexity of cyber attacks. The Financial Times was the first to report that Arup was the target of fraudsters.
Arup is one of the world's leading engineering consulting firms, employing more than 18,000 people. The company is known for designing the structures of the Sydney Opera House with its distinctive concrete shells. Recent projects include the Crossrail transport scheme in London and the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Last week, we reported that the head of the world's largest advertising group was also a victim of deepfake fraud. WPP's CEO, Mark Reed, spoke about the scam in a letter to colleagues and warned them to be careful about calls posing as calls from the company's management.
According to Hong Kong media reports, Senior Police Superintendent Baron Chan told a group posing as company executives that the employee had been invited to a multi-participant video conference. The participants looked like real people, and the employee transferred HK $ 200 million to five local bank accounts through 15 transactions.
At the moment, no arrests have been made, the investigation is ongoing, and the case is classified as "obtaining property by fraud".
British engineering company Arup has confirmed that it was the victim of a deepfake scam, when one of its employees transferred HK $ 200 million (£20 million) to criminals via an artificial intelligence-generated video call.
Hong Kong police said in February that an employee of an unnamed company was deceived and transferred large amounts of money to attackers who posed as company executives.
In a statement, Arup confirmed that it was the victim of fraud, and earlier this year notified the police about the incident in Hong Kong. The company confirmed the use of fake voices and images.
The statement also said that the company's financial stability and business operations were not affected, and internal systems were not compromised.
Rob Greig, chief information officer of Arup, noted that the company is regularly exposed to attacks, including deepfakes.
"Like many other companies around the world, our operations are subject to regular attacks, including account fraud, phishing attacks, WhatsApp voice spoofing, and deepfakes. In recent months, the number and complexity of these attacks has increased significantly," Greig said.
Greig expressed the hope that Arup's experience will help raise awareness of the growing complexity of cyber attacks. The Financial Times was the first to report that Arup was the target of fraudsters.
Arup is one of the world's leading engineering consulting firms, employing more than 18,000 people. The company is known for designing the structures of the Sydney Opera House with its distinctive concrete shells. Recent projects include the Crossrail transport scheme in London and the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Last week, we reported that the head of the world's largest advertising group was also a victim of deepfake fraud. WPP's CEO, Mark Reed, spoke about the scam in a letter to colleagues and warned them to be careful about calls posing as calls from the company's management.
According to Hong Kong media reports, Senior Police Superintendent Baron Chan told a group posing as company executives that the employee had been invited to a multi-participant video conference. The participants looked like real people, and the employee transferred HK $ 200 million to five local bank accounts through 15 transactions.
At the moment, no arrests have been made, the investigation is ongoing, and the case is classified as "obtaining property by fraud".
