Hospital system in Missouri AI media incident — Nov 2026

A criminal group orchestrated a sophisticated fraud campaign by leveraging AI voice-cloning and deepfake video technology to impersonate corporate executives and attorneys. By targeting employees with authority over large wire transfers, the suspects successfully extracted over $129 million from various organizations, including a Missouri hospital system, a Rhode Island bank, and a UK financial technology firm.

What happened

Beginning in 2024, the trio—identified as Jacon Soall, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Sheetrit—executed a multi-stage social engineering scheme that bypassed traditional corporate security by exploiting human trust rather than technical vulnerabilities. The process typically began with an email sent via an electronic signature platform like DocuSign, purportedly from a CEO, requesting assistance with a confidential transaction such as an acquisition. Victims were instructed to sign a nondisclosure agreement to ensure the matter remained secret from colleagues.

To solidify the deception, the scammers utilized AI programs to mimic the voices and physical appearances of corporate leaders and attorneys during follow-up calls. These deepfake interactions were designed to pressure employees into initiating large, unauthorized wire transfers. Once the funds were successfully diverted to global bank accounts, the group laundered the proceeds by converting them into cryptocurrency. Federal investigators noted that the suspects specifically sought out accounting staff with the power to move significant capital. Following an investigation, the three suspects were arrested in Spain and the UK, and the U.S. Department of Justice is currently seeking their extradition to face charges including wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.