Deepfake Video Call from a Boss or Colleague Asking for a Transfer
A video call shows your manager or a senior colleague asking for an urgent payment. The face may be generated by AI. Learn how to verify first.
A message from your 'managing director' asks you to join a quick video call. His face appears, his voice sounds right, and he says a supplier's payment must be made today before the bank closes. The call is short and the connection is poor. After it ends, you receive the account details. The face and voice may be produced by software, and the real manager may be in a different meeting without knowing his name is being used.
How the scam works
The scammer studies the company through public sites and social profiles: who the boss is, who handles accounts and how they speak. He gathers photos and video clips of the boss from events and interviews. A first message on WhatsApp or email, sent from a new number or a copy of the boss's address, asks the employee to be available for an urgent, confidential payment and then requests a short video call.
The pressure comes from authority and time. On the call the video may be low quality, frozen or have a bad connection so flaws are hidden. The 'boss' says he cannot talk long, that the deal is confidential and that questions should wait. He asks for the payment to be released at once, sometimes splitting it into several smaller transfers to avoid checks, and warns that a delay could cost a major client.
The payoff is a large transfer to an account controlled by the scammer. Since the employee followed what looked like a direct order from the boss, he may skip the usual approval steps. The money is moved out quickly through other accounts. Only when the real manager hears about it does the company realise that the call was an imitation, by which time recovery is hard.
An example of what you may see
Example WhatsApp exchange (invented): 'Priya, I need you to handle something confidential. Join a video call in 5 minutes.' On the call, the 'director' says, 'I am boarding a flight and the connection is poor. Transfer Rs 2,80,000 to the vendor account I am sending now. It must go before 3 pm. Do not discuss this with anyone, I will explain on landing, and do not call me, I am in meetings.'
This example is written for illustration. Real messages change their wording, names and links all the time.
Red flags
- A senior person contacts you from a new number or an unusual channel.
- The payment is urgent, confidential and outside the normal approval process.
- The video is short, poor in quality or avoids questions and natural movement.
- You are told not to call back or consult anyone.
- The account details are new or belong to an individual.
- The request splits payments into smaller transfers.
What to do right now
- End the call and contact the person on a number you already know, or in person.
- Follow your company's normal approval process for any payment.
- Ask a question that only the real person could answer, or ask for a callback on the official line.
- Tell your finance head and IT team about the attempt.
- Save the numbers, chats and screenshots for a report.
If you already paid or shared a code
- Inform your bank and your company's finance head at once.
- Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in with the payment details.
- Ask your bank to contact the receiving bank about the transfer.
- Preserve all messages, call logs and recordings for the investigation.
National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930. Report online at cybercrime.gov.in. Do it fast: the sooner your bank is told, the better the chance that money can be held.
Where this scam shows up
Read how it looks on each channel:
How Safeavio helps
Safeavio Sentinel cannot analyse live video to say whether a face is real. You can paste the messages into Scam check to see the reasons they look risky, such as urgency and secrecy, and use Money Shield's 'Verify before you pay' checklist before you transfer money. Trusted contacts and a code word help you confirm identity another way. Safeavio cannot recover a payment already made.
Check it before you tap or pay
Safeavio Sentinel is a made-in-India Android app: paste a message or link, or scan a QR code, and get a plain verdict with the reasons. It helps you spot a scam; it does not promise to stop every one.
Download for AndroidWhat the app does
Google Play listing: coming soon. Today the signed APK is on safeavio.com/download. Android 7.0 or later.
Questions people ask
How can a face on a video call be fake?
Software can place a different face or copy a voice in real time or in recorded clips. Quality varies, and poor connections hide flaws. A video call alone should not be treated as proof of who is speaking.
What is a safe way to confirm an urgent payment request?
Call the person on a number you already hold, use a separate channel such as the company's official system and follow normal approvals. A real boss will accept a verification step. Ask for the request in writing through the official system.
Why is secrecy a red flag?
Secrecy stops colleagues from noticing that something is wrong. Real urgent payments still follow checks, so a rule to bypass them is a sign of fraud. Real urgent payments still pass through approvals, so a person who asks you to skip them deserves a callback on the official number.