Three members of an international fraud scheme have been charged in the United States. According to investigators, they used artificial intelligence to imitate the voices and images of company executives and lawyers. Using fake conversations, they convinced company employees to transfer large sums to accounts controlled by the criminals. The total losses exceeded $129 million.
The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, part of the US Department of Justice, reported this on November 5.
According to the investigation, from 2024 to 2026, the suspects and their accomplices used artificial intelligence technologies to impersonate company CEOs and representatives of major international law firms.
The scheme began with approaching an employee on behalf of the company's CEO. The fraudsters claimed there was a confidential financial transaction that required the employee's assistance.
To convince the victim of the request's authenticity, the organizers used AI to reproduce the CEO's voice or image during phone calls or video calls.
The employee was then told to contact lawyers from a major international firm who supposedly handled the transaction. In reality, the law firm representatives were also impersonated by members of the fraud group.
Under the guise of legal support, they provided instructions for transferring funds. The employee, convinced the operation was legitimate, sent money to an account controlled by the criminals.
According to the US Attorney's Office, the total amount stolen from companies in the US and other countries exceeded $129 million.
Victims include major medical institutions, banks, financial and investment companies, and manufacturing enterprises.
In particular, per the indictment, a UK fintech company lost about $11.6 million, a Missouri health system lost $4.8 million, a California hospital network lost nearly $3 million, and a Rhode Island bank lost approximately $2.7 million.
After receiving the funds, scheme participants transferred them through bank accounts in various countries, including the US, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Austria, Slovakia, the UAE, Singapore, and China.
The money was then converted into cryptocurrency to hide its origin, owners, and subsequent movement. The funds were then distributed among the criminal group members.
The US Attorney's Office named three defendants: Jacob Soil, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Shitrit. All three had been previously detained: Soil in June 2026 in Spain, Hazan in August also in Spain, and Shitrit in September in the United Kingdom.
At the time the charges were announced, the US was awaiting their extradition.
According to investigators, Soil mainly posed as British lawyers. During conversations with potential victims, he used a pre-prepared handwritten script designed to convince employees of the legal support's authenticity and the need to keep the operation confidential.
Hazan and Shitrit are also charged with laundering proceeds from the fraud.
The defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit financial fraud, wire fraud, illegal use of others' personal data, and money laundering. Some charges carry a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
The US Attorney's Office warned that the development of artificial intelligence technologies creates new opportunities for financial crimes. In particular, the use of synthesized voice and images of company executives can make fraudulent requests much more convincing to employees responsible for large payments.
At the same time, the charges are not a conviction. All three defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Source: US Department of Justice - US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
