Fraud Intelligence
AI Scams
Generative AI has supercharged fraud. Deepfake video calls, cloned voices, and AI-written phishing campaigns are now used to defraud individuals and businesses out of life-changing sums.
The Mechanics
How synthetic media is weaponized
Scammers use AI to bypass traditional skepticism. Understanding their technical playbook is the first step to dismantling it and building a legal case for recovery.
The Harvest
Fraudsters scrape social media, public records, and past communications to gather audio samples and facial data of your contacts.
The Synthesis
Generative AI models create highly convincing deepfake videos, cloned voices, or hyper-personalized phishing emails in minutes.
The Trigger
The fake media is deployed with extreme urgency and demands for secrecy, overriding your natural instinct to verify the request.
The Extraction
Funds are moved rapidly through mule accounts or converted to crypto before the victim realizes the person on the screen wasn't real.
Scam Variants
Common types of AI-powered fraud
While the underlying goal is always financial theft, scammers adapt their synthetic media to target different vulnerabilities.
CEO & Vendor Fraud
Fraudsters use deepfake video on Zoom or Teams calls, impersonating executives to instruct urgent wire transfers to secret accounts.
Voice-Cloning Scams
AI clones a family member's voice from social media to call victims, claiming they are in danger and need immediate emergency funds.
Celebrity Investment Fraud
Deepfake videos of well-known entrepreneurs or TV personalities are used in social media ads to promote fake, unregulated trading platforms.
Synthetic Romance Fraud
Entirely AI-generated personas and photos are used on dating apps to build long-term emotional trust before requesting money for emergencies.
Warning Signs to Watch For
- An unexpected video call from an executive, family member, or partner asking for money
- A voice note or call asking you to act urgently and keep the request secret
- Investment opportunities promoted by celebrity deepfakes on social media
- Highly personalised phishing emails referencing real colleagues or recent transactions
- AI-generated profile photos on dating sites (look for unnatural backgrounds, jewellery, or hands)
- Pressure not to verify the request through any other channel
Our Approach
Our Recovery Process
Investigate
We capture and preserve the digital evidence, including calls, messages, and metadata, before it can be deleted.
Trace
We follow the payment trail through banks, payment processors, or blockchain to locate the recipient.
Pursue
We notify the receiving bank, file FOS and CRM Code complaints, and pursue chargebacks where applicable.
Recover
We negotiate or litigate against the recipient and any negligent intermediaries to return your funds.
Legal Authority
We leverage UK financial regulations
Even when AI makes the deception highly convincing, the banking system's safeguards and regulatory frameworks remain your strongest tool for recovery. We hold institutions accountable.
PSR Mandatory Reimbursement
Under the new Payment Systems Regulator mandate, banks must reimburse victims of authorised push payment (APP) fraud, including deepfake and voice-cloning scams.
Confirmation of Payee (CoP) Failures
If the name on the receiving account didn't match the payee name and the bank failed to warn you or block the transaction, they may be liable for negligence.
How AI-Powered Scams Work
Criminals now use freely available AI tools to clone a voice from a few seconds of audio, generate a deepfake video of a colleague, or write thousands of bespoke phishing emails per hour. The aim is the same as traditional fraud, which is to get you to authorise a payment, but the credibility of the impersonation is now far higher than anything possible even two years ago.
Your Legal Position
Even though the technology is new, the legal routes for recovery are well-established. Authorised push payment (APP) victims of impersonation scams can claim under the Contingent Reimbursement Model (CRM) Code and, since October 2024, under the mandatory PSR reimbursement scheme. Card payments may qualify for chargeback or Section 75 protection. Where the receiving bank failed to apply Confirmation of Payee or to act on red-flag transactions, they may be liable for negligence.
How We Can Help
We start by preserving evidence, including call recordings, video files, message threads, and metadata that fraudsters often try to delete or take offline. We then file the formal complaints, escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service if necessary, and trace the funds through banking or blockchain channels. Where intermediaries failed in their duty of care, we pursue them directly.
Targeted by an AI-powered scam?
Speak with our specialists today for a free, confidential consultation.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Under the CRM Code and the new PSR reimbursement rules, banks must reimburse blameless victims of authorised push payment fraud, including impersonation and deepfake scams.
No. Recovery focuses on tracing the payment and on the recipient bank's duty of care, not on the technology used to deceive you.
Immediately. Notify your bank within hours if possible so funds can sometimes be frozen before they leave the receiving account. Then contact us for the recovery work.
Take Action Today
Affected by an AI-powered scam?
Our team of expert fraud lawyers can help you recover your lost funds. No win, no fee.