Bharti Enterprises executive targeted by AI voice cloning scam in Dubai, fraud prevented

Summary

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, revealed at the NDTV World Summit that an AI-powered scam attempted to defraud his company by cloning his voice. The scammer used artificial intelligence to mimic Mittal’s voice and called an executive in Dubai to demand a significant money transfer. The executive identified the scam and prevented the fraud, as the AI-generated voice was highly convincing. Mittal warned about the growing misuse of AI in fraud schemes, including voice cloning, digital signature forgery, and deepfake videos. The incident is part of a broader trend of AI-enabled scams, with similar cases reported, such as a ₹7 crore fraud involving SP Oswal of Vardhman Group. Mittal emphasized the need for vigilance and a balanced approach to AI adoption to harness its benefits while mitigating risks.