Deepfake Video Call from a Boss or Colleague Asking for a Transfer by email

How it looks by email, the red flags and what to do.

Email scams copy the logos, colours and wording of real companies, and the sender address often differs from the real one by one letter. Deepfake Video Call from a Boss or Colleague Asking for a Transfer is one of the ways this shows up: 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.

What deepfake video call from a boss or colleague asking for a transfer looks like by email

• A sender address that is almost, but not exactly, the real domain.
• A button that says "Verify account" or "View invoice".
• An attachment such as a PDF, ZIP or HTML file you did not expect.

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.

Red flags to check on the email

• 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.
• Hover over the link: the address does not match the company website.
• The email asks you to log in through the link rather than through the official app.

What to do

1. End the call and contact the person on a number you already know, or in person.
2. Follow your company's normal approval process for any payment.
3. Ask a question that only the real person could answer, or ask for a callback on the official line.
4. Go to the company website by typing it yourself and check your account there.
5. Check the full sender address, not just the display name.
6. Report it as phishing in your email app and delete it.

Use Report phishing in your email app. If money or accounts are affected, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Inform your bank and your company's finance head at once.
2. Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in with the payment details.
3. Ask your bank to contact the receiving bank about the transfer.
4. Preserve all messages, call logs and recordings for the investigation.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

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.

Full guide: Deepfake Video Call from a Boss or Colleague Asking for a Transfer: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: WhatsApp, phone call, fake app.

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