Picture this: Your boss calls you on a video call right now, sounding exactly like them, demanding an urgent wire transfer. In 2026, that’s not paranoia—it’s reality.
Just look at what happened in 2024 when a finance worker at a multinational company in Hong Kong joined what appeared to be a legitimate multi-person video conference with the CFO and other co-workers. Everyone looked and sounded real, the discussion felt urgent and professional, and the instructions were to transfer $25 million to a “secret project” account which at the time seemed reasonable. The catch? Every single face on that call was a sophisticated deepfake generated by AI—crafted from publicly available footage and powered by tools that make real-time impersonation chillingly easy. The employee wired the funds, only discovering the scam later when he double-checked with the real head office.
Deepfakes aren't just a future risk—they're here and scaling fast. Deepfake files are projected to hit 8 million in 2025 (up from ~500,000 in 2023), with annual growth nearing 900%. Fraud losses from generative AI (including deepfakes) could reach $40 billion annually in the U.S. by 2027, and Gartner predicts that by 2026, 30% of enterprises will no longer trust standalone identity verification due to deepfake threats. CEO fraud now targets at least 400 companies per day, often amplified by voice/video cloning.
These kinds of scams known as “deepfake executive impersonations” or video-based vishing are going to surge in 2026, with fraudsters targeting SMBs, remote workers, and even everyday folks all over the world. Everyone is a target, however here are a few tips that may prevent you from falling for one of these scams.
HOW TO PREPARE
Establish a “safe word” or secret verification question
Agree in advanced on a unique, code word, phrase, or questions (e.g., “What was the name of our childhood dog?” or a random inside joke) with family, close contacts, and or key colleagues & executives. Invoke it during any urgent or strange requests — a deepfake won’t know how to respond
Always verify through a separate, trusted channel
If you get an urgent request over a video or voice call, hang up immediately and call back using a known, pre-verified number from your contacts
Question urgency and emotional pressure
Scammers thrive on panic. Train yourself to pause: Real people won’t mind a quick verification delay. If it feels rushed or secretive, that’s a major red flag
Limit public audio & video samples of yourself and executives
Reduce the raw material available for cloning by restricting high-quality video and audio recordings on publicly accessible pages
Implement multi-channel or multi-person approval for high-stakes actions
Setup rules like requiring two approvals or in-person/secondary confirmation for wire-transfers, large payments, and or other major changes. This adds layers that deepfakes wont be able to bypass alone
Adopt “trust but verify” habits for all communications
Never assume voice or video alone is identity — even if it looks and or sounds real. Always verify!
Sources Cited