Fake Zoom call with PM Wong: Police release deepfake footage of scam that caused victim to hand over S$4.9 million

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has released footage from a sophisticated scam operation that used deepfake AI technology to impersonate senior Singapore government officials in a fake Zoom conference call.

According to a police news release issued on May 16, scammers posed as high-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, to convince victims to transfer large sums of money.

One victim transferred at least S$4.9 million after falling for the scam. He believed he was providing "urgent funding assistance" to the government.

Victims were invited to fake Zoom conference

In this scam variant, scammers would target business professionals who had prior interactions with government officials.

The victim would first receive a WhatsApp message from someone pretending to be the Secretary to the Cabinet.

The message would inform the victim that they had been invited to attend a meeting with PM Wong.

Victims would then be directed to a Zoom video conference, that appeared to involve senior government officials from Singapore and overseas.

Portions of the meeting were manipulated using deepfake AI technology, said the police.

Fake meeting discussed Strait of Hormuz situation

The fabricated Zoom conference allegedly centred around the geopolitical situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the police, the fake call featured deepfake versions of PM Wong, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister Indranee Rajah, and representatives from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

The meeting also supposedly included foreign officials such as Canada’s foreign minister and the senior diplomatic advisor to the president of the UAE.

Private-sector organisations, including BlackRock and the Dubai International Financial Centre, were also mentioned during the conference.

The victim would be introduced as one of the private sector participants before the briefing began.

AI technology

The Zoom call would end with a deepfake video of PM Wong delivering closing remarks and personally acknowledging the victim’s attendance.

A scammer, masquerading as a lawyer, would then contact the victim after the meeting and persuade them to transfer the money.

In the aforementioned case, the scammer assured the victim that the funds would be reimbursed by the Singapore government within 15 days.

It was only later that the victim felt something was amiss, and contacted the Secretary to the Cabinet, only to realise he had fallen prey to a scam.

After reviewing the footage, investigators found multiple signs indicating that the Zoom footage had been manipulated using AI technology.

These included:

• Audio that did not synchronise properly with speakers’ lip movements
• Speech being broadcast from a single account instead of individual participants
• Distorted backgrounds and partially obscured Zoom logos

Police said these signs suggested that pre-recorded videos and inauthentic audio had been layered together to fabricate the meeting.

Police advisory

Members of the public are reminded that Singapore government officials will never ask for money transfers, bank login details, installation of apps from unofficial app stores, or transfers of calls to the police or other government agencies.

Any such request should be treated as a likely scam.

Members of the public who encounter suspicious messages, advertisements, or possible scams online are encouraged to report them to the relevant platform or the police.

Those who are unsure can also verify via the ScamShield Helpline at 1799.

Top image via Singapore Police Force