Supreme Court justices voice deepfake — Oct 2026

Mexican authorities have dismantled a criminal network that utilized AI voice cloning to impersonate high-ranking government officials and judges to facilitate extortion. The operation, which targeted Supreme Court justices, governors, mayors, and presidential staff, resulted in the arrest of a former provincial treasurer, his family, and a bodyguard.

What happened

Beginning in 2021, the criminal group executed a sophisticated two-part social engineering scheme to secure money, government jobs, and business contracts. First, an accomplice posing as an assistant would contact a victim to request the personal phone number of a high-ranking official. Shortly thereafter, the victim would receive a call from the purported official, whose voice was synthesized using AI to mimic the target's identity. By citing "orders from on high," the impersonators pressured victims into compliance through threats and extortion. The security ministry confirmed that the group successfully obtained substantial amounts of money through these deceptive practices before their eventual arrest.