Authorities accuse trio of using AI deepfakes to defraud
A trio of individuals allegedly used AI deepfakes of CEOs and lawyers to defraud businesses of $129 million through sophisticated wire transfer scams
- Reported date
- Nov 7, 2026
- Target
- Multiple businesses including a U.K.-based financial tech company
The exact incident date was not established. This entry is dated by its source report.
Between July 2024 and February 2026, a criminal trio allegedly orchestrated a large-scale fraud scheme that resulted in $129 million in losses across multiple organizations. By leveraging AI-generated deepfakes to impersonate corporate executives and international legal counsel, the perpetrators successfully manipulated employees into authorizing unauthorized wire transfers.
What happened
The scheme typically began with an email from an e-signature platform, where the impersonated CEO claimed to be managing a confidential financial transaction. Victims were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement before being directed to contact a purported attorney, who was also a deepfake impersonation. The attackers specifically targeted accounting staff with the authority to execute large payments.
Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Sheetrit are accused of using AI to clone the voices and images of CEOs and attorneys from some of the world's 50 largest law firms. The operation was highly coordinated, with Soall allegedly reading from handwritten scripts to deceive victims. Once the fraudulent transfers were completed to accounts controlled by the conspirators in various countries, the funds were converted into cryptocurrency and distributed among the participants.
Specific victims identified in court records include a U.K.-based financial tech company that lost $11.6 million, a Florida-based pet food company that lost $5.2 million, and a Missouri-based hospital system that lost $4.8 million. Other affected entities included a Massachusetts-based mutual fund, a California-based hospital system, a New York-based investment firm, and a Rhode Island-based bank. The trio faces multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, with potential sentences totaling up to 104 years in prison. Attorneys for Guy Sheetrit have stated that their client maintains his innocence and has no connection to the alleged conduct.