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Medium reported severity Investigation Opened

Italy: Fideuram chairman Paolo Molesini is deceived by a WhatsApp impersonation of Intesa Sanpaolo's CEO and a phone call in the reportedly AI-cloned voice of a lawyer he knew into ordering about 95 million euros of transfers; at least 36 million remain missing and he resigned on 12 March 2026, weeks later

On 23 February 2026 Paolo Molesini, then chairman of Fideuram (the private-banking subsidiary of Intesa Sanpaolo), received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number from someone claiming to be Intesa's chief executive Carlo Messina, announcing a confidential acquisition that had to be executed through Fideuram. The same day a caller presenting as a lawyer of A&O Shearman whom Molesini knew, whose voice ANSA, Il Fatto Quotidiano and Corriere della Sera, reporting from the Milan court papers, describe as created with artificial intelligence (today.it, which also cites the seizure decree, writes that the court papers do not yet answer whether the voice was imitated), had him sign a confidentiality agreement and sent eleven payment instructions; Fideuram's treasury head was separately contacted by someone posing as Fideuram's CEO. Between 23 and 25 February eleven transfers totalling about 95 million euros went to accounts in Portugal and at Bank of China; the bank's alarm systems and the Milan prosecutors recovered about 40-42 million from China and 13 million seized in Portugal, leaving at least 36 million (39.5 million per the court papers) missing after conversion into cryptocurrency. Molesini, who Corriere writes is not under investigation, resigned as chairman on 12 March 2026, which Fideuram announced as being for personal reasons; a 48-year-old Israeli citizen is under investigation as a member of the gang.

AI system
Unidentified voice-cloning tool
Occurred
23 Feb 2026 to 25 Feb 2026
Reported
25 September 2026
Event location
Italy
What the AI did
Communicated with the person · Depicted or impersonated the person
Reported harm
Financial LossProfessional Harm
Whose AI use
Someone else’s AI use
Setting
Work · Finance
Evidence
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution supported · 8 sources, 5 underlying accounts
8 claims: 6 corroborated, 2 reported. 5 open questions
People reported harmed
1 person

AI system as recorded: Voice of a business lawyer replicated with artificial-intelligence tools for a phone call to the Fideuram chairman, as described by Corriere della Sera, ANSA and Il Fatto Quotidiano in their accounts of the Milan court papers; today.it, also citing the seizure decree, writes that the court papers do not yet answer whether the voice was imitated; the tool is not identified. The WhatsApp messages and emails are not described as AI-made

What Happened

Corriere della Sera (Milan edition, 25 September 2026, Luigi Ferrarella) reconstructed from the Milan court papers that in February 2026 Molesini, then chairman of Fideuram, believed he had received a WhatsApp message from Carlo Messina, chief executive of the parent company Intesa Sanpaolo, urging him to execute through Fideuram's treasury a series of transfers for a financial operation abroad. The fraudsters then simulated a call from Paolo Nastasi, managing partner of A&O Shearman Italia, a business lawyer Molesini knew and who was wholly extraneous to the scheme; Corriere writes that the voice seemed his because the fraudsters had replicated it with artificial-intelligence tools. Emails made to look like they came from the law firm supplied the beneficiaries' account details, and Fideuram's finance director, instructed by the chairman, sent the money, mostly to China and Hong Kong. ANSA (25 September 2026), quoting the seizure decree of investigating judge Sonia Mancini, dates the first contact to 23 February 2026: a WhatsApp message from a number different from the one Molesini knew, from someone claiming to be Messina, announcing that a lawyer of a well-known firm would call to conclude the acquisition of an international bank that Intesa could not buy directly because a leak would trigger a Consob stop; the judge notes it did not seem suspicious to Molesini because the Generali acquisition had failed months earlier for the same reason. The lawyer, 'con voce finta creata con l'IA' in ANSA's own words, then had him sign a confidentiality agreement and sent eleven documents with a special power of attorney apparently signed by Messina; the same day Fideuram's head of treasury and payments was contacted by a person posing as Fideuram's CEO. Il Fatto Quotidiano (25 September 2026), quoting the five-page decree, reports that the eleven transfers totalling 95 million euros left between 23 and 25 February (a first 4.9 million to a Portuguese company at Banco BPI, six more transfers of 34.9 million to BPI accounts, and 42.5 million to a Bank of China account), that the Portuguese bank flagged the operations, and that the real Fideuram CEO then called Molesini to warn of a fraud, after which Molesini called Messina, who confirmed he had not contacted him. The 42 million sent to Bank of China returned to Fideuram; 13 million were blocked at BPI and seized; the remaining sums were moved on to other foreign accounts and to IBANs at crypto banks. ANSA gives the missing amount as 39.5 million and Corriere as at least 36 million converted into cryptocurrency. Fideuram announced on 12 March 2026 that Molesini had resigned as chairman of Fideuram and of Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking for personal reasons (ANSA, 12 March 2026). Corriere writes that he was neither under investigation nor the target of any litigation by his institution and had chosen to resign; Milano Finanza writes that once he realised what had happened he decided to resign; today.it writes that he had to resign. Il Fatto Quotidiano's headline, summary and opening narrative attribute the AI-reproduced voice to Messina, while the decree passages it quotes, like ANSA's, describe a WhatsApp message from the purported Messina; the statement that the lawyer's call was an AI voice is the newspapers' own narration around those quotes, and today.it, also citing the decree, writes that the court papers do not yet answer whether the voice was imitated.

Reported harm

Fideuram lost about 95 million euros in transfers ordered by its deceived chairman, of which at least 36 million (39.5 million per the court papers) remain missing (Corriere della Sera and ANSA, from the Milan seizure decree); the chairman resigned on 12 March 2026, about two and a half weeks after the transfers, announced by the bank as for personal reasons, which Corriere, Milano Finanza and today.it link to the fraud.

Outcome

Ongoing

The Milan prosecutors (pm Alfonso Serritiello and Barbara Benzi, pool of deputy prosecutor Eugenio Fusco) and the Carabinieri investigative unit are investigating; the investigating judge Sonia Mancini issued a preventive seizure decree (dated May per Il Fatto Quotidiano) freezing over 13 million euros at a Portuguese bank, and international letters rogatory are pending. A 48-year-old Israeli citizen is named as under investigation for aggravated fraud in concert with unknown persons; Corriere notes the rogatory will have to verify whether his documents correspond to a real person. Corriere della Sera writes that Molesini is not under investigation and faces no litigation from his bank. He resigned on 12 March 2026, announced by Fideuram as for personal reasons; the case became public on 25 September 2026 through Corriere della Sera.

What remains unknown

  • Which voice-cloning tool was used and whether any recording or forensic analysis of the call exists; the AI attribution rests on press accounts of the court papers (Corriere della Sera, ANSA, Il Fatto Quotidiano), while today.it, also citing the seizure decree, writes that the court papers do not yet answer whether the voice was imitated.
  • Whether Molesini's resignation was connected to the fraud: Fideuram gave personal reasons and no source quotes Molesini on the point.
  • Whether the WhatsApp messages impersonating Messina and Fideuram's CEO or the emails involved any AI tool.
  • The exact unrecovered amount: 36 million (Corriere) or 39.5 million (ANSA and Il Fatto Quotidiano from the decree).
  • Whether the named suspect is a real person and whether other suspects have been identified; the Reuters report (sources) was not read.

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: reported. ANSA ('Quell'avvocato, con voce finta creata con l'IA, poi lo contattò') and Il Fatto Quotidiano ('un avvocato dello studio A&O Sherman chiama Molesini, ma è sempre l'IA che sta parlando'), narrating the investigating judge's seizure decree, and Corriere della Sera's reconstruction from the court papers ('i truffatori l'hanno replicata ad arte con strumenti di intelligenza artificiale') describe the lawyer's voice on the call as created with AI. None of the decree passages these outlets quote verbatim contains the AI attribution, and today.it, which also cites the decree, writes that the court papers do not yet answer whether the voice was imitated ('sulla quale gli atti non offrono ancora una risposta: la possibile imitazione della voce'). No forensic detail, recording or tool is reported. The WhatsApp messages impersonating Messina and the Fideuram CEO and the emails are not described as AI-made in the decree passages quoted. Il Fatto Quotidiano's headline attributes the AI voice to Messina, which its own quoted decree passages do not support. The cloned voice spoke with Molesini (communicated_with) and impersonated the lawyer (depicted_or_impersonated).

8 claims: 6 corroborated, 2 reported. What the statuses mean

Corroborated On 23 February 2026 Molesini, then chairman of Fideuram, received a WhatsApp message from a number different from the one he knew, from someone claiming to be Intesa Sanpaolo CEO Carlo Messina, announcing that a lawyer would call him to conclude a confidential acquisition of an international bank through Fideuram.

Causal attribution. ANSA and Il Fatto Quotidiano quote the investigating judge's decree; Corriere reconstructs the same contact from the court papers. Messina is described by all sources as extraneous to the scheme.

  • ansa.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Il 23 febbraio scorso, Molesini era stato contattato con un "messaggio WhatsApp" da un "soggetto che, pur chiamandolo da un numero diverso da quello a lui noto, affermava di essere Carlo Messina, Ceo di Intesa".'
  • milano.corriere.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Tutto precipita in una manciata di ore di febbraio 2026, quando Molesini, allora presidente di Fideuram, riceve (in realtà crede di ricevere, come amaramente si renderà conto di lì a poco) un messaggio WhatsApp da Carlo Messina, amministratore della capogruppo Banca Intesa.'
  • ilfattoquotidiano.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'veniva contattato sul proprio cellulare aziendale, tramite messaggio Whatsapp da un soggetto che, pur chiamandolo da un numero diverso da quello a lui noto, affermava essere Carlo Messina.'
  • today.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'La truffa ai danni di Fideuram, secondo la ricostruzione contenuta in un decreto di sequestro del Tribunale di Milano, comincia il 23 febbraio 2026.'
Corroborated The same day a caller presenting as a lawyer of A&O Shearman whom Molesini knew, in a voice that ANSA, Il Fatto Quotidiano and Corriere della Sera describe as created with artificial intelligence, had him sign a confidentiality agreement and transmitted eleven payment instructions on the firm's letterhead with a power of attorney apparently signed by Messina.

Causal attribution. The AI attribution comes from the court's reconstruction as relayed by three newsrooms; no recording, forensic finding or tool is reported. Corriere names the impersonated lawyer as Paolo Nastasi, managing partner of A&O Shearman Italia, wholly extraneous and unaware. Il Fatto Quotidiano's summary line attributing the AI voice to Messina (context evidence) conflicts with the decree passages it quotes.

  • ansa.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Quell'avvocato, con voce finta creata con l'IA, poi lo contattò e gli fece firmare, con "undici" documenti inviati, "un accordo di massima riservatezza" e con procura speciale all'apparenza "sottoscritta" da Messina.'
  • milano.corriere.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'È un avvocato d’affari che Moresini conosce, e se la voce gli sembra proprio quella è perché i truffatori l’hanno replicata ad arte con strumenti di intelligenza artificiale.'
  • ilfattoquotidiano.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Nella stessa giornata un avvocato dello studio A&O Sherman chiama Molesini, ma è sempre l’IA che sta parlando.'
  • ilfattoquotidiano.it(opens in new tab) context · Italian
    'Con l'intelligenza artificiale era stata riprodotta la voce di Carlo Messina.'
  • today.it(opens in new tab) context · Italian
    'C’è infine una tecnica che potrebbe aver contribuito alla truffa, ma sulla quale gli atti non offrono ancora una risposta: la possibile imitazione della voce.'
Corroborated Convinced of the operation, Molesini instructed Fideuram's finance and treasury head, who had himself been contacted by someone posing as Fideuram's CEO, to execute the transfers; eleven transfers totalling about 95 million euros left between 23 and 25 February 2026 to accounts in Portugal and at Bank of China.

Causal attribution. The judge writes that Molesini and the treasurer were mutually convinced of the operation's urgency and confidentiality and did not contact the top management of Fideuram or Intesa (Il Fatto Quotidiano). The loss fell on the bank, not on Molesini personally.

  • milano.corriere.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Ed è così che il direttore finanziario di Fideuram, a ciò istruito dal presidente di Fideuram, che a sua volta crede di realizzare il compito affidatogli dal numero uno di Banca Intesa, fa partire i soldi, per lo più verso Cina e Hong Kong.'
  • ilfattoquotidiano.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Ciò che è reale sono i bonifici successivi per un totale di 95 milioni di euro che partono tra il 23 e il 25 febbraio.'
  • ansa.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'anche il responsabile della Tesoreria e "dei pagamenti" di Fideuram, lo stesso giorno, sarebbe stato contattato da una persona che fingeva di essere l'ad di Fideuram, il quale gli diceva che Molesini lo avrebbe chiamato per disporre "bonifici urgenti e riservati".'
  • today.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Secondo il decreto, gli undici bonifici raggiungono complessivamente 95,18 milioni di euro.'
  • lastampa.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Convinto della legittimità dell’operazione, Molesini aveva dato disposizione al direttore finanziario di Fideuram di eseguire i bonifici.'
Corroborated Fideuram's controls and the Portuguese bank raised the alarm; about 40-42 million euros sent to Bank of China were returned, 13 million were seized at Banco BPI in Portugal, and at least 36 million (39.5 million per the court papers) remain missing after being moved through foreign accounts and converted into cryptocurrency.

Causal attribution. Figures differ between outlets: Corriere gives 40 million returned and at least 36 million missing; ANSA and Il Fatto Quotidiano, from the decree, give 42 million returned and 39.5 million missing.

  • milano.corriere.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'La rapidità del riflesso reattivo viene premiata proprio da una banca in Cina, che blocca 40 milioni e li restituisce a Fideuram.'
  • milano.corriere.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'All’appello, però, sinora mancano almeno 36 milioni volatilizzatisi nei vorticosi giri di conti esteri, e a un certo punto convertiti in criptovalute'
  • ansa.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'con un tentativo di portare via alla banca del gruppo Intesa quasi 95 milioni, di cui, stando agli atti, ora mancano all'appello, però, solo 39,5 milioni'
  • ansa.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Decreto con cui sono stati congelati oltre 13 milioni su una banca portoghese, mentre 42 li aveva già stoppati Fideuram su conti cinesi.'
  • ilfattoquotidiano.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Ciò che ritorna a Fideuram sono i 42 milioni bonificati alla Bank of China. Dei restanti 52, solo 13 vengono bloccati da Bpi e poi messi sotto sequestro dal Tribunale.'
  • today.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Il 25 febbraio, appena due giorni dopo il primo contatto, Banco BPI segnala a Fideuram la natura sospetta delle operazioni.'
  • milano.corriere.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'i sistemi di sicurezza interna di Fideuram si allertano rapidamente'
Corroborated Fideuram announced on 12 March 2026 that Molesini had resigned as chairman of Fideuram - Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking and of Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking for personal reasons.

Causal attribution. The company's stated reason is personal; the announcement did not mention the fraud.

  • ansa.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Fideuram - Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking ha reso noto che Paolo Molesini ha rassegnato le dimissioni dalla carica di presidente della società e di presidente di Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking, per ragioni personali.'
  • milano.corriere.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Intanto Molesini, non indagato e non destinatario di alcun contenzioso avviato dal proprio istituto, il 12 marzo scorso aveva comunque scelto di dimettersi da presidente (come informò un asettico comunicato di Fideuram) «per ragioni personali».'
  • lastampa.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Molesini, che non è indagato e non ha ricevuto contestazioni da parte dell’istituto, aveva annunciato a marzo le proprie dimissioni dalla presidenza di Fideuram «per ragioni personali».'
Reported Press accounts link the resignation to the fraud: Corriere writes that he had nonetheless chosen to resign, Milano Finanza that once he realised what had happened he decided to resign, and today.it that he had to resign.

Causal attribution. Journalistic attribution; neither Fideuram nor Molesini has publicly linked the resignation to the fraud in the inspected sources.

Corroborated A 48-year-old Israeli citizen is under investigation as a member of the gang, named in the investigating judge's seizure decree that froze over 13 million euros at a Portuguese bank; investigators are pursuing the funds with international letters rogatory.

Causal attribution. Corriere notes it is unverified whether the suspect's identity documents correspond to a real person.

  • ansa.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'Nel caso di Molesini, che si è dimesso a marzo, è indagato come uno dei componenti della banda un cittadino israeliano di 48 anni.'
  • milano.corriere.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'è risalita almeno a un 48enne israeliano correlato a uno dei conti esteri dove sono atterrati 4 milioni'
  • milano.corriere.it(opens in new tab) supports · Italian
    'le rogatorie serviranno a verificare se i suoi documenti corrispondano veramente a una persona in carne ed ossa'
Reported Corriere della Sera writes that Molesini is not under investigation and is not the target of any litigation by his institution.

Causal attribution. Corriere's statement, relayed by La Stampa and others; ANSA and Il Fatto Quotidiano do not address it.

Sources

8 sources inspected, from 5 underlying accounts. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

Read live in Italian on 2026-09-30 (Corriere della Sera Milano, 25 September 2026, byline Luigi Ferrarella; the original reconstruction from the court papers, credited by Il Sole 24 Ore, La Stampa, Il Post, Tgcom24 and Bluerating). Researcher translation. Applies to s1.

Read live in Italian on 2026-09-30 (ANSA, 25 September 2026; the earlier ANSA URL 'lex-capo-di-fideuram-truffato-con-whatsapp-e-ia-spariti-36-milioni' redirects to this updated item). Quotes the investigating judge's decree directly ('stando agli atti'). Researcher translation. Applies to s2.

Read live in Italian on 2026-09-30 (Il Fatto Quotidiano, 25 September 2026). Credits Corriere for the story but quotes the five-page seizure decree at length with details absent from Corriere and ANSA (transfer dates and beneficiaries, the real CEO's warning call). Its headline attributes the AI voice to Messina, contrary to the decree passages it quotes. Researcher translation. Applies to s3.

Read live in Italian on 2026-09-30 (La Stampa, 25 September 2026); explicitly a rewrite of Corriere della Sera's reconstruction. Researcher translation. Its HTML page title reads 'voce del ceo clonata con l'AI', contrary to its own body, which attributes the cloned voice to the lawyer. Applies to s4.

Read live in Italian on 2026-09-30 (ANSA, 12 March 2026); relays Fideuram's announcement of the resignation. Researcher translation. Applies to s5.

Read live in Italian on 2026-09-30 (Corriere della Sera Milano, 26 September 2026); follow-up on the suspect and the money trail; the page's paywall banner appears after the article text, which was complete. Researcher translation. Applies to s6.

Read live in Italian on 2026-09-30 (today.it, 29 September 2026); cites the Milan seizure decree for the transfer dates and the 95.18 million total. It names Fideuram's treasury head, who is not named in this record. Researcher translation. Applies to s7.

Read live in Italian on 2026-09-30 (Milano Finanza, 25 September 2026); credits Corriere della Sera; cited only for its own statement linking the resignation to the fraud. Researcher translation. Applies to s8.

Not read: HTTP 401 on 2026-09-30 and no Internet Archive capture; the Google News title reads 'AI messaging scam costs Italy's top bank Intesa millions, sources say' (25 September 2026). Applies to s9.

Event countries: Italy. Affected-person countries: Italy. Court countries: Italy.

The contact reached the chairman of Fideuram, a Milan-based Intesa Sanpaolo subsidiary, and the investigation is by the Milan prosecutors and investigating judge (ANSA; Corriere). Molesini was born in Feltre (ANSA, 12 March 2026) and his career is described in Milan (Il Gazzettino). The transfers went to accounts in Portugal and at Bank of China (Il Fatto Quotidiano) and the seizure in Portugal was obtained with Lisbon authorities under Eurojust, but the court order is the Milan judge's, so only IT is recorded as a court country.

Reviewed for publication 2026-09-30: Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core case: an AI-cloned voice communicated with the affected person (a bank chairman, named in his official capacity as all sources do) and impersonated a lawyer he knew, inducing him to order transfers of about 95 million euros, of which at least 36 million remain missing; he resigned on 12 March 2026, weeks later, announced as for personal reasons. Three independent reads of the Milan court papers (Corriere della Sera, ANSA, Il Fatto Quotidiano) plus the March resignation announcement (ANSA). The financial loss fell on the institution; the personal consequence recorded is the deception itself and the resignation as reported.

People described

Paolo Molesini, chairman of Fideuram - Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking until 12 March 2026 (born 1957 per ANSA), a public executive named in his official capacity

People reported harmed in this case

1 person

1 AI participant · 0 other people harmed

One person, Paolo Molesini, who was called by the AI-cloned voice and induced to order the transfers (ANSA; Corriere; Il Fatto Quotidiano). The impersonated lawyer and the impersonated CEO are not counted; no harm to them is reported. Fideuram's treasury head, contacted by a person posing as Fideuram's CEO (ANSA 'contattato', Il Fatto Quotidiano 'chiamato', today.it 'messaggio WhatsApp'; no source describes AI in that contact), is not counted. Exact 1.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#voice-cloning#ceo-fraud#impersonation#whatsapp#banking#italy#milan#financial-loss#resignation#criminal-investigation

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Italy: Fideuram chairman Paolo Molesini is deceived by a WhatsApp impersonation of Intesa Sanpaolo's CEO and a phone call in the reportedly AI-cloned voice of a lawyer he knew into ordering about 95 million euros of transfers; at least 36 million remain missing and he resigned on 12 March 2026, weeks later. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2026-italy-fideuram-chairman-ai-cloned-lawyer-voice-ceo-impersonation-fraud

BibTeX

@misc{2026_italy_fideuram_chairman_ai_cloned_lawyer_voice_ceo_impersonation_fraud,
  title = {Italy: Fideuram chairman Paolo Molesini is deceived by a WhatsApp impersonation of Intesa Sanpaolo's CEO and a phone call in the reportedly AI-cloned voice of a lawyer he knew into ordering about 95 million euros of transfers; at least 36 million remain missing and he resigned on 12 March 2026, weeks later},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2026-italy-fideuram-chairman-ai-cloned-lawyer-voice-ceo-impersonation-fraud}
}

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