Benedetto Vigna voice deepfake — Sep 2026

In 2024, a Ferrari executive was targeted by a sophisticated voice-cloning attempt designed to impersonate CEO Benedetto Vigna. The incident highlights the growing threat of AI-driven social engineering and the necessity of implementing personal verification strategies to confirm identity during urgent or unusual requests.

What happened

The attempted fraud began with a series of messages followed by a phone call from an individual posing as the Ferrari CEO. The caller utilized voice-cloning technology to mimic the executive's voice, aiming to deceive the recipient into believing they were speaking with their superior.

However, the executive grew suspicious of the caller's identity. Rather than complying with the demands made during the call, the executive challenged the supposed CEO to identify a specific book that the real Benedetto Vigna had recently recommended to him. Because the caller could not provide the correct answer, the deception was immediately exposed, and the attempted fraud failed. This incident serves as a practical example of how asking a verification question—or establishing a pre-agreed family or professional code word—can effectively neutralize AI-powered voice scams.