Deepfake Video Call from a Boss or Colleague Asking for a Transfer on WhatsApp

How it looks on WhatsApp, the red flags and what to do.

WhatsApp is private and fast, which scammers like: a "wrong number" chat can turn into a task, an investment tip or a payment request within minutes. 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 on WhatsApp

• A link that pretends to be a wa.me, courier or bank page.
• A message from an unknown number, often with a stock photo of a smiling person.
• A friend or relative asking for urgent money from a new number or a hacked account.

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 WhatsApp message

• 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.
• Someone asks for the six-digit code WhatsApp sent you by SMS.
• A new number says it is someone you know and asks for money; call the real person on the old number first.

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. Do not click links or open files. Do not send money or codes.
5. Open the chat, tap the contact name and choose Block and report.
6. If it was a "friend", call them on the number you already have and ask.

Inside WhatsApp use Block and report; for numbers that call or text you, the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) also takes complaints.

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: phone call, email, fake app.

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