One question I have not seen come up:
A Ferrari executive successfully thwarted a sophisticated deepfake impersonation attempt targeting CEO Benedetto Vigna by using a verification question.
- Incident date
- Jul 2026
- Target
- Benedetto Vigna
In mid-July 2024, a Ferrari NV executive was targeted by a sophisticated deepfake scammer posing as CEO Benedetto Vigna. The attacker used WhatsApp messages and a convincing voice-cloned phone call to attempt to manipulate the executive into facilitating a confidential acquisition and currency-hedge transaction.
What happened
The incident began on a Tuesday morning when an executive received messages from an unknown number purporting to be Vigna. The messages referenced a secret acquisition and instructed the executive to prepare for a non-disclosure agreement while emphasizing the need for absolute discretion. The attacker utilized an image of Vigna as a profile picture to bolster the deception.
Following the initial messages, the scammer initiated a live phone call. The voice impersonation was highly accurate, mimicking Vigna's southern Italian accent. The caller claimed to be using a different phone number due to the sensitive nature of the deal, which he alleged faced complications in China.
Suspicion arose when the executive noticed subtle mechanical intonations in the voice. To verify the caller's identity, the executive asked a specific security question: the title of a book Vigna had recommended just days prior. Unable to answer the question regarding the book 'Decalogue of Complexity: Acting, Learning and Adapting in the Incessant Becoming of the World' by Alberto Felice De Toni, the scammer abruptly ended the call. Ferrari subsequently launched an internal investigation into the attempt.