Executive Impersonation & AI Voice

    A Familiar Voice Is Not Verification

    Apparent executive instructions by email, voice note or video need a known-channel callback and normal approvals.

    Business & Leadership SecurityLeadershipFinanceEveryday users

    Illustrative scenario

    How It Looks in Real Life

    A finance officer receives a voice note that sounds like the CEO asking for an urgent confidential transfer before a deal closes. A follow-up email insists on secrecy.

    Understand it

    How the Attack Works

    Attackers combine look-alike emails with cloned voices or edited video, using authority, urgency and secrecy to skip normal controls. The FBI has warned that generative AI makes these lures more convincing.

    Red flags

    Warning Signs

    • Requests to bypass normal approval because of urgency or confidentiality.
    • New phone numbers or messaging accounts for a known executive.
    • Pressure to act before you can reach the person directly.

    Safer habits

    What to Do Instead

    • 1Call back on a number already on record, not one supplied in the request.
    • 2Follow the established approval process for every payment, whoever asks.
    • 3Agree internal verification phrases or dual approval for high-value actions.

    Response playbook

    Already Interacted?

    For work accounts and devices, report promptly through your organisation’s IT or security process first. Never share passwords, codes or tokens in a report.

    If you: sent a payment or changed bank details
    1. 1Contact your bank immediately and ask for a recall of the transfer.
    2. 2Inform finance leadership and IT or security the same day.
    3. 3Keep all emails, invoices and call records as evidence.
    If you: opened a message or clicked a link
    1. 1Close the page without entering anything further.
    2. 2Report the message through your usual IT or security reporting channel.
    3. 3Keep the original message; do not forward it to colleagues as a warning.

    Knowledge Check

    What Would You Do?

    A video call shows your director asking you to urgently share payroll data. The audio is slightly off. What do you do?

    Fictional example for learning. Not a test score or certification.

    Sources

    Content reviewed by WazuGuardix on 5 October 2026. Summaries are in our own words.

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