A scam used a computer-generated voice to mimic Italy’s defence minister Guido Crosetto.
The fake calls tricked wealthy business leaders into wiring money for a fake hostage ransom, with at least one victim losing €1 million.
Italian business leaders have been hit by a scam that uses an AI-generated voice to copy the sound of Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto. Scammers called high-profile tycoons, saying that money was needed to pay ransom for Italian journalists kidnapped overseas. This scam came just weeks after the government arranged a high-profile hostage swap.
The fraudsters made several rounds of phone calls. They pretended to be staff from the defence ministry and used phone numbers that looked real. In their calls, they claimed that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government needed help freeing the hostages. They promised that any money sent would later be repaid by the Bank of Italy.
The scam targeted some of Italy’s most powerful business figures. Among those contacted were Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera, fashion designer Giorgio Armani, Prada co-founder Patrizio Bertelli, Tod’s owner Diego Della Valle, former Inter Milan owner Massimo Moratti, and members of the Beretta and Menarini families. While many of these leaders were suspicious, at least one victim was convinced to transfer €1 million to an overseas bank account.
Defence minister Guido Crosetto sounded the alarm about the scam on social media. He explained that the fake voice falsely claimed, “I cannot pay with ministry money, but you will get the money back from the Bank of Italy.” A ministry official confirmed that the call was a hoax. Investigators say that the scammers even cloned phone numbers to make their calls seem authentic.
The Bank of Italy has also warned the public. It stated that fraudsters were misusing its name and logo to promise reimbursements. The bank stressed that it is not connected with these requests and advised anyone receiving such a call to report it immediately.
This scam follows a similar case in France, where a fake call from someone posing as the French defence minister tricked over 150 leaders into sending money. In that case, scammers collected $85 million before being stopped. Italian authorities are now investigating the case and urge anyone who has been targeted to come forward.
The case shows how new technology can be misused to deceive even the most powerful individuals. Italian law enforcement is working to end these scams and protect business leaders from fraud.
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