{
  "id": 9961437,
  "title": "AI voice-cloning scam hits Italian bank: Fake executives trigger €95m overseas transfers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/ai-voice-cloning-scam-hits-italian-bank-fake-executives-trigger-95m",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-26T10:16:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/europe/ai-voice-cloning-scam-hits-italian-bank-fake-executives-trigger-95m-overseas-transfers-1.500688692"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Fraudsters utilized AI-generated messages and a synthetic voice to impersonate high-ranking officials and a prominent attorney, duping an Italian private bank into transferring approximately €95 million to foreign accounts, according to Reuters, citing confidential sources. Over half of the funds have been recovered, leaving around €36 million unaccounted for. The intricate scam targeted Fideuram, the private banking division of Italy's largest lender, Intesa Sanpaolo. The scheme commenced in February when Fideuram Chairman Paolo Molesini received a seemingly legitimate WhatsApp message purportedly from Intesa Sanpaolo CEO Carlo Messina. The message requested immediate assistance with an overseas transaction. The fraudsters then escalated the deception with a phone call mimicking a senior partner from a prestigious law firm to validate the request. Leveraging advanced AI technology, the attorneys' voice was convincingly replicated, lending authenticity to the call. Molesini, believing the instructions to be genuine, directed the Fideuram finance department to execute a series of transfers. The funds were primarily dispatched to accounts in China and Hong Kong. Upon detecting anomalies in the transactions, Fideuram promptly notified relevant banks and law enforcement agencies in multiple nations. Subsequent international collaboration facilitated the recovery of roughly €53 million. However, the remaining €36 million remains elusive, having been transacted through a complex web of overseas accounts and converted into cryptocurrencies. Intesa Sanpaolo and Fideuram have declined to comment on the matter. No Fideuram executives are currently under investigation, but Milan prosecutors have placed a foreign national residing abroad under investigation for alleged computer fraud. Fideuram Chairman Molesini resigned in March citing personal reasons, without providing further details. This incident underscores the potential of AI voice-cloning technology to fabricate financial scams, making them appear as if they originate from trusted executives or professional advisors. Last year, fraudsters employed AI to mimic the voice of an Italian minister, inducing a businessman to transfer nearly €1 million to an overseas account, which was subsequently recovered.",
  "summary": "Fraudsters used AI-generated messages and a cloned voice to impersonate senior executives and a top lawyer, tricking an Italian private bank into transferring about €95 million ($108 million) to overseas accounts, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. More than half of the money has since been recovered, but around €36 million remains missing, the sources told Reuters. The…",
  "key_points": [
    "Italian bank Fideuram loses €95 million in AI voice-cloning scam",
    "Fraudsters used AI to mimic CEO's and lawyer's voices for transfers",
    "€36 million remains unaccounted for, transferred via cryptocurrencies"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}