Scammers Use AI to Clone Voice of Italian Defense Minister, Targeting Business Elite
Scammers have exploited AI technology to impersonate Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto in an effort to target affluent entrepreneurs. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has humorously referred to his voice as a “masterpiece” after revealing that scammers utilized AI to impersonate him in a recent scheme aimed at defrauding wealthy business individuals in Italy.
Crosetto brought the scam to the public's attention on Thursday through a post on X. He cautioned that several prominent personalities had been approached by imposters.
The scammers reportedly sought to exploit a recent high-profile prisoner exchange with Iran, which resulted in the release of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala. The AI-generated “Crosetto” falsely claimed that urgent financial assistance was needed to cover the ransom for other journalists supposedly held in the Middle East, framing the matter as a national security issue.
High-profile targets of this scheme included some of Italy's wealthiest figures, among them fashion icon Giorgio Armani, Prada CEO Patrizio Bertelli, the Aleotti family of the Menarini Group, a major pharmaceutical company, and the Beretta family known for their firearm manufacturing, according to local media outlets.
While the majority of the attempts by the fake “minister” were unsuccessful, billionaire Massimo Moratti, the former owner of Inter Milan football club, disclosed to La Repubblica that he had transferred an undisclosed amount after being reached out to.
In light of the situation, Crosetto shared some humorous comments he received from friends, including one assertion that “fake copies of all masterpieces circulate,” which he found somewhat comforting.
Italian authorities have yet to identify any suspects in the case. Crosetto noted that one of the impersonators introduced himself as “Giovanni Montalbano,” a name that echoes the title of a popular Italian police procedural, The Young Montalbano.
Technological advancements, particularly in generative algorithms that enable real-time voice cloning and the rise of cryptocurrencies, have facilitated such scams, making them easier and safer for criminals. The NGO Global Anti-Scam Alliance estimates that online and phone fraud results in annual losses exceeding $1 trillion, with a significant portion of the funds remaining unrecovered.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
Crosetto brought the scam to the public's attention on Thursday through a post on X. He cautioned that several prominent personalities had been approached by imposters.
The scammers reportedly sought to exploit a recent high-profile prisoner exchange with Iran, which resulted in the release of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala. The AI-generated “Crosetto” falsely claimed that urgent financial assistance was needed to cover the ransom for other journalists supposedly held in the Middle East, framing the matter as a national security issue.
High-profile targets of this scheme included some of Italy's wealthiest figures, among them fashion icon Giorgio Armani, Prada CEO Patrizio Bertelli, the Aleotti family of the Menarini Group, a major pharmaceutical company, and the Beretta family known for their firearm manufacturing, according to local media outlets.
While the majority of the attempts by the fake “minister” were unsuccessful, billionaire Massimo Moratti, the former owner of Inter Milan football club, disclosed to La Repubblica that he had transferred an undisclosed amount after being reached out to.
In light of the situation, Crosetto shared some humorous comments he received from friends, including one assertion that “fake copies of all masterpieces circulate,” which he found somewhat comforting.
Italian authorities have yet to identify any suspects in the case. Crosetto noted that one of the impersonators introduced himself as “Giovanni Montalbano,” a name that echoes the title of a popular Italian police procedural, The Young Montalbano.
Technological advancements, particularly in generative algorithms that enable real-time voice cloning and the rise of cryptocurrencies, have facilitated such scams, making them easier and safer for criminals. The NGO Global Anti-Scam Alliance estimates that online and phone fraud results in annual losses exceeding $1 trillion, with a significant portion of the funds remaining unrecovered.
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
