Arup, a British engineering giant, fell victim to a sophisticated deepfake scam. An employee, duped by an AI-generated video call, unknowingly transferred HK$200 million (£20 million / $25 million) to criminals.
Back in February, Hong Kong police revealed a case in which a worker at an undisclosed company fell victim to a hoax call. “Posing as senior officers of the company,” the scammers tricked the worker into transferring significant sums of money.
Deepfake Scam Targets Arup: Millions Lost
Arup later confirmed that it was the company targeted in the February fraud case reported by Hong Kong police. A London-based spokesperson for Arup told CNN that they notified the authorities about a fraud incident in Hong Kong earlier this year.
The spokesperson further confirmed the use of deep fakes, stating that the scammers employed fake voices and images to trick their employees into sending the money.
“Unfortunately, we can’t go into details at this stage as the incident is still the subject of an ongoing investigation. However, we can confirm that fake voices and images were used,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Despite the financial loss, the spokesperson assured the public that the incident did not impact Arup’s monetary stability or day-to-day operations. They further emphasised that the criminals did not breach the company’s internal systems.
Rob Greig, Arup’s global chief information officer responsible for the company’s computer systems, revealed that the organisation has been facing increasing cyberattacks, including deepfakes.
Arup’s Vulnerability Despite Its Stature