74-year-old Maria Gonzalez loses $138,000 to AI deepfake bank fraud scheme
Summary
The FBI and U.S. Department of Justice charged 14 individuals in March 2026 with a nationwide AI deepfake fraud scheme that stole approximately $47 million from elderly victims between October 2024 and March 2026. The operation, based in New York, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta, with additional locations overseas, used AI-generated video calls to impersonate bank representatives and defraud victims. The indictment names 1,200 victims, including 74-year-old Maria Gonzalez of Scottsdale, Arizona, who lost $138,000. The scheme involved using deepfake technology trained on public bank employee footage and targeting elderly individuals with high net worth. The FBI’s Elder Justice Initiative and Cyber Division, with assistance from FinCEN and Europol, traced the fraud through forensic analysis and a cooperating witness. The 10 arrested individuals face charges including wire fraud and money laundering, with potential sentences of up to 20 years per count, and authorities are seeking civil asset forfeiture of $47 million in stolen assets.
Incident Details
Who Was Affected
Sources
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