Facebook Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Sign in
  • World News
    • Australia
    • China Watch
    • Indo-Pacific
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Europe
    • North America
    • South America
    • West Asia
    • Russia
  • Neighbours
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Afghanistan
    • Sri Lanka
    • Myanmar
    • Maldives
  • Videos
  • Documentaries
Sign in
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Password recovery
Recover your password
Search
Friday, May 30, 2025
  • Sign in / Join
Facebook Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
StratNews Global
  • World News
    • Australia
    • China Watch
    • Indo-Pacific
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Europe
    • North America
    • South America
    • West Asia
    • Russia
  • Neighbours
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Afghanistan
    • Sri Lanka
    • Myanmar
    • Maldives
  • Videos
  • Documentaries
Anti Drone System
Home Europe Italian Police Freeze Cash From AI-Voice Scam That Targeted Business Leaders

Italian Police Freeze Cash From AI-Voice Scam That Targeted Business Leaders

Edited By
Tripti Nath
-
Feb 13 2025, 03:10
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
WhatsApp

    Italian police have found and frozen nearly one million euros ($1.04 million) that was wired to a foreign bank account by a leading businessman after he fell victim to an AI (artificial intelligence) scam, officials said on Wednesday.

    Fraudsters used AI to mimic the voice of Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, making calls that claimed to seek urgent financial assistance for the release of kidnapped Italian journalists in the Middle East.

    Some of Italy’s most prominent business figures, including fashion designer Giorgio Armani and Prada co-founder Patrizio Bertelli, were targeted, prosecutors in Milan said earlier this week.

    However, only Massimo Moratti, the former owner of soccer club Inter Milan, was believed to have sent the requested funds.

    Officials said they thought it would be hard to retrieve the missing funds, but on Wednesday they revealed the cash had been located to the Netherlands.

    “I’m very pleased that the money fraudulently taken from an entrepreneur, using my falsified voice and name, has been traced to a Dutch account and completely frozen,” Crosetto said on X.

    “Excellent work by the magistrates and the police forces.”


    Nitin A Gokhale WhatsApp Channel

    There was no immediate comment from Moratti, who had transferred two payments amounting to almost one million euros, under the mistaken belief that he would be reimbursed by the Bank of Italy, sources familiar with the case have said.

    Moratti filed a legal complaint last week after realizing he had been duped. “It all seemed real. They were good. It could happen to anyone,” he told Italian daily La Repubblica at the weekend.

    The scam involved fraudsters posing as officials from the defence ministry, with calls that appeared to originate from government offices in Rome.

    They then passed the phone to a man they said was Crosetto, who asked for money, saying the government could not be seen to be behind the transactions.

    The Defence Minister has said they used AI technology to convincingly simulate his voice.

    (With inputs from Reuters)


    Facebook
    Twitter
    Pinterest
    WhatsApp
      Previous articleTrump Makes First Big Foray Into Ukraine Diplomacy, Speaking To Putin, Zelenskyy
      Next articleU.S. Judge Clears Way For Trump’s Federal Worker Buyout Program
      Tripti Nath
      Delhi based journalist pickled in journalism. Have reported from nine world capitals and almost all parts of India. Over the last three decades, I have worked for India’s mainstream English dailies and contributed to All India Radio, Doordarshan and Women’s Feature Service. Also worked for international media including Japan’s leading newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun and done assignments for The Sunday Times, London, The Telegraph, The Guardian and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Worked in the Embassy of France in New Delhi and can speak French to save my life. Write on Diplomacy, Politics and the social sector. Love Nature, heritage, Nature, animals and vintage cars. Enjoy cycling and playing badminton.

      RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

      Gaza ceasefire

      U.S. Proposes 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire And Major Hostage-Prisoner Exchange

      Pro-democracy and LGBT+ rights activist Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit arrives at his residence after serving a four-year and three-month sentence for conspiracy to commit subversion in a landmark national security case, in Hong Kong, China, May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

      Second Group Freed In High-Profile Hong Kong Subversion Case

      Why Pakistanis Need To Boot Mullah Munir And His Merry Men Out

      Georgian Opposition politician Nika Melia

      Second Georgian Opposition Politician Arrested In One Week

      UN Flag

      UN: $3.7 Billion Budget To Shrink By 20%, 6,900 Jobs At Risk

      Kursk Hospital Strike by Ukraine's military

      Russia: Kursk Hospital Damaged In Ukrainian Drone Strike

      North Korea leader Kim Jong Un

      North Korea: Kim Steps Up Military Push With Artillery Drills, Party Orders

      Fear Clouds Afghans In US As Trump Axes Deportation Protections

      Gaza Aid Group Opens Third Distribution Site Amid Surging Hunger

      Bangladesh Recalls Ambassador From Myanmar Amid Diplomatic Tensions

      Chinese students

      Chinese Students Dismayed As U.S. Tightens Visa Restrictions

      US pauses student visas

      India On U.S. Student Visa Pause: Expect Fair Treatment For Indians

      No Sign Russia Plans To Restart Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant, Says IAEA




      Facebook Linkedin Twitter Youtube
      • Who We Are
      • Advertise with us
      © StratNews Global

      ×