{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-22T11:15:49.505Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"bank-transfer-fraud","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"","response":"regulatory","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":1,"coverage":{"cases":1,"countries":1,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":1,"minors":0,"coreRelations":1,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2020-hong-kong-branch-manager-made-transfers-after-call-in-cloned-director-voice-uae-investigators-say","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"In early 2020, a branch manager of a Japanese company in Hong Kong received a call from a man whose voice he recognized—the director of his parent business.; so he needed to authorize some transfers to the tune of $35 million; The manager, believing everything appeared legitimate, began making the transfers.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In early 2020 a branch manager of a Japanese company in Hong Kong received a call from a man whose voice he recognised as the director of his parent business, who said transfers of about $35 million were needed for an acquisition, and the manager began making the transfers.","causal_attribution":"Forbes's account of the UAE court document; the parties are not named."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"one in which fraudsters had used “deep voice” technology to clone the director’s speech, according to a court document unearthed by Forbes; involving at least 17 individuals, which sent the pilfered money to bank accounts across the globe.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Dubai investigators have revealed that the crooks “used ‘deep voice’ technology to simulate the voice of the director.”","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the UAE's court document as reported, the fraudsters used 'deep voice' technology to clone the director's speech, and the UAE believes the scheme involved at least 17 people who sent the money to bank accounts around the world.","causal_attribution":"The investigators' account in the court document, relayed by two outlets from one origin; the technical basis is not disclosed."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"has sought American investigators’ help in tracing $400,000 of stolen funds that went into U.S.-based accounts held by Centennial Bank; The Dubai Public Prosecution Office, which is leading the investigation","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The UAE, with the Dubai Public Prosecution Office leading the investigation, sought US investigators' help in tracing $400,000 of the stolen funds that went into accounts at Centennial Bank.","causal_attribution":"Forbes's report of the court document."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Cybercriminals cloned the voice of a company director in the U.A.E. to steal as much as $35 million; UPDATE: After publication, the U.A.E. Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation contacted Forbes to note that the affected company was an unnamed Japanese business, though the Dubai investigators were leading the probe.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Forbes reports that as much as $35 million was stolen, and after publication updated the article to say the affected company was an unnamed Japanese business, following contact from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.","causal_attribution":"Forbes's own reporting and its correction note."}],"effects":[{"label":"a company's branch manager began transfers of about $35 million after a call in the cloned voice of the parent business's director","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2021/10/14/huge-bank-fraud-uses-deep-fake-voice-tech-to-steal-millions/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-22 from Internet Archive captures of 2022 and 2025 (the live site returned HTTP 403); the 2025 capture shows the article as updated on 2 May 2023. Reports a UAE court document; no translation needed.","independence_group":"forbes-uae-court-document"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://gizmodo.com/bank-robbers-in-the-middle-east-reportedly-cloned-someo-1847863805","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-22 (HTTP 200). Same-day relay of the Forbes report quoting the court document; its description of a UAE bank predates Forbes's corrections. No translation needed.","independence_group":"forbes-uae-court-document"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","work"],"unknowns":["How the investigators established that the voice was cloned with AI; the court document's technical basis is not reported.","When the call took place: Forbes says early 2020, while Gizmodo, relaying the same court document on 14 October 2021, says it took place 'last January'.","How much money was actually lost; Forbes says as much as $35 million.","Where the director whose voice was cloned is based; Forbes's subtitle places him in the UAE while the updated text describes the parent business of a Japanese company.","Whether anyone was arrested or charged, and whether any funds were recovered.","Which tool was used to clone the voice."],"geography":{"basis":"Forbes's updated article places the deceived branch manager of a Japanese company in Hong Kong; the UAE investigated because the heist affected entities there. No harmed person is counted, so no affected-person country is recorded. The court document is the UAE's request for American investigators' help over funds sent to US accounts, which Gizmodo says brought the case into the American judicial system, so the court country is US; the court itself is not named.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["HK"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with, depicted_or_impersonated): a UAE court document reported by Forbes says fraudsters used 'deep voice' technology to clone a company director's voice, and the cloned voice's call led a Hong Kong branch manager to begin transfers of about $35 million. The attribution is the investigating authorities'; its technical basis is undisclosed. No person is named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-22"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The UAE's court document, as reported by Forbes, says the fraudsters used 'deep voice' technology to clone the director's speech; the UAE investigators led the inquiry, but how they established the cloning is not disclosed. The cloned voice spoke to the branch manager (communicated_with) in the person of the parent business's director (depicted_or_impersonated), and the account connects that call to the transfers.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with","depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"UAE investigators say fraudsters cloned a company director's voice to have a Hong Kong branch manager transfer up to $35 million in early 2020","summary":"According to a court document reported by Forbes, in which the United Arab Emirates sought US investigators' help, fraudsters used 'deep voice' technology to clone the voice of a company director. In early 2020 a branch manager of a Japanese company in Hong Kong received a call from a man whose voice he recognised as the director of the parent business, who said an acquisition needed transfers of about $35 million; emails from the supposed director and a lawyer confirmed the details, and the manager began making the transfers. Forbes reports that as much as $35 million was stolen. The UAE, whose Dubai Public Prosecution Office led the investigation, believes at least 17 people were involved and asked for help tracing $400,000 sent to US accounts. No arrests or recovery are reported.","incidentDate":"2020-01-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2021-10-14","aiSystem":"'Deep voice' technology used to clone a company director's voice, according to a UAE court document reported by Forbes (tool not named)","aiProduct":"Unidentified voice-cloning tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to a UAE court document reported by Forbes, a cloned voice of a parent company's director led a Hong Kong branch manager to begin transfers of about $35 million, and as much as $35 million was stolen.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The loss fell on the company; the sources describe the branch manager as the person deceived but report no personal loss or other harm to him or anyone else, so no person is counted (zero placeholders).","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"HK","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2021/10/14/huge-bank-fraud-uses-deep-fake-voice-tech-to-steal-millions/","primarySourceLabel":"Forbes, 14 October 2021 (updated 2 May 2023): Fraudsters cloned company director's voice in $35 million heist, police find","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-22T03:19:19.150851+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-22T03:19:19.150851+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["voice-cloning","ceo-fraud","bank-transfer-fraud","uae-investigation","hong-kong","depicted-or-impersonated"]}]}