Deepfake scams on the rise: Employees need to look out for these signs

Cyber criminals are continually exploring new and ingenious methods to exploit employees and companies. Deepfake scams, for example, are on the rise and pose a substantial threat to cyber security.

Deepfake scams have surged by 250% in the last year alone, according to recent studies. What exactly is a deepfake scam, how do they work and what warning signs can you look for to protect yourself and your company against these advanced cyber attacks?

What are deefake scams?

Deepfakes employ artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms to produce incredibly realistic and fraudulent movies or audio recordings. These modified media clips are frequently used to fool people into thinking they are communicating with a real person or organisation.

They have the potential to cause significant financial losses since they may be used to carry out advanced phishing attacks in which scammers influence their victims into providing critical information or doing fraudulent actions. These scams change existing video or audio recordings using AI.

Scammers can use these algorithms to produce convincing videos by superimposing one person's face onto another's body or audio samples that accurately mimic someone's voice. They accomplish this by training machine learning models on large datasets, allowing them to create incredibly convincing deepfake material.

Deepfake scammers use a variety of strategies to deceive their victims, including mimicking company executives, colleagues or suppliers. Scammers acquire trust and deceive victims into supplying sensitive information, making financial transactions, or compromising secure systems by using distorted media snippets. Falling prey to a deepfake fraud can cause severe financial loss for individuals and organisations, as well as reputational harm and legal issues.

Signs to look out for

It is critical to be aware of the signals that indicate the presence of manipulated media in order to protect yourself against deepfake scams. Here are three important cues to look out for:

1) Physical cues - Look for visible evidence of a deepfake, such as pixelation, irregular lighting, or strange facial movements in the videos.

2) Behavioural cues - Look for odd behavioural patterns or inconsistencies, such as strange gestures, voice tone, or replies that do not match the person's usual behaviour.

3) Content cues - Examine the verbal or contextual cues contained within the video or audio snippet. Grammatical problems, unusual requests, or out-of-context subjects can all be warning signs of a deepfake scam.

How to protect against deepfake scams

Employees play a crucial role in bolstering a company's defences against deepfake schemes. They can take several preventative measures, including undergoing education and awareness training sessions. This will educate personnel on the new strategies employed in deepfake scams and encourage them to stay current on trends and to be cautious when dealing with suspect messages.

To counteract phishing attacks, enforce strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and comprehensive email security protocols. Use modern threat detection and monitoring tools to detect and block deepfake-related threats.

SEACOM provides a full range of cyber security services, including sophisticated threat detection and incident response, which are designed for large enterprises in South Africa. These services are intended to equip businesses with the tools they need to recognise and minimise the dangers connected with various online scams and phishing attempts.

Deepfake scams are a growing threat that can have serious effects for both individuals and businesses. Employees can play an active part in limiting risks by understanding what deepfake scams are and the warning signs to watch for.

SEACOM is committed to assisting organisations in protecting themselves against deepfake frauds and other cyber security risks. For more information about our cyber security services or to get a quote, email us at marketing@seacom.com or leave us a message.

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