Three foreigners have been charged in the US with using artificial intelligence to deceive employees of large companies and stealing more than $129 million, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
AI-driven deception mechanism
According to investigative materials, the criminal scheme operated between July 2024 and February 2026. The group members—Jacob Soll, Sharon Hazan, and Guy Shitrit—impersonated executives and lawyers of international firms. The scammers contacted accounting employees, mimicking CEOs' voices using AI, and in several cases, even forged their images during video calls.
Victims were convinced they needed to assist in a confidential financial transaction. To this end, employees were directed to lawyers who allegedly represented the company's interests but were actually accomplices in the scheme. After funds were transferred to various bank accounts, the money was converted into cryptocurrency to hide its origin.
Scale of the crime
Affected organizations
Among the companies affected by the scammers' actions were medical networks in the states of Missouri and California, a bank in Rhode Island, and an investment company from Massachusetts. Damage was also caused to a British fintech company and a pet food manufacturer in Florida.
The investigation established that one of the defendants, Jacob Soll, impersonated a British lawyer and used pre-prepared conversation scripts to manipulate victims.
