TOPIC 02 OF 05
Identity theft, scams, and deepfakes
Verify outside the messageGenerated voice, video, images, documents, and messages can imitate trusted people and make targeted scams inexpensive. Attackers often combine believable media with urgency, secrecy, authority, or an unusual payment or access request.
A voice message sounding like a director asks for an urgent confidential transfer. The safe response is to stop and contact the director through a previously known number or established approval channel.
Visual artifacts and ‘deepfake detection’ tools are not reliable enough to be the only defense. Provenance signals help, but independent identity and transaction controls remain essential.
Pause, use a known second channel, apply the existing approval process, preserve evidence, and report the attempt.