INTERPOL DeepFake warning is serious notice for all
JOHANNESBURG — A call that sounds like a relative in distress or a video showing a colleague requesting payment may be an AI impersonation, INTERPOL has warned. Its new public awareness campaign urges people to independently verify requests for money or sensitive information, even when they recognise the apparent caller’s face or voice.
Launched on 19 October, the campaign uses three AI-generated videos to demonstrate how criminals exploit synthetic media, commonly called deepfakes. INTERPOL says increasingly accessible tools can reproduce someone’s appearance or voice from limited material available online, bringing impersonation risks beyond celebrities and public figures into ordinary households and workplaces.
The warning has direct relevance to South African consumers. Standard Bank said in March that criminals were combining AI-generated voices, imitation emails and deepfake content to impersonate bank employees and other trusted people. Its head of fraud operations, Marius le Roux, said these approaches could persuade victims to disclose banking information, grant access to their banking profiles or invest in fabricated opportunities.
The Banking Association South Africa advises consumers against relying on caller identification or a recognisable voice alone. When an unexpected request involves money, end the call and contact the person through a number already known to be genuine. An urgent message should be checked through a separate trusted channel before any payment is authorised.
INTERPOL identifies pressure to act immediately, demands for secrecy and emotional manipulation as warning signs. It recommends that families agree on a private verification phrase and that businesses require multiple checks before financial transactions or sensitive data transfers. Staff training should address impersonation attempts, including requests that appear to come from senior colleagues.
South African mobile operator Vodacom also cautions users never to disclose passwords, PINs or one-time passwords in response to an incoming request. Anyone approached for those details should stop the interaction and verify it through an official channel.
If money has already been transferred, INTERPOL advises contacting the bank promptly and reporting the suspected scam to local law enforcement.
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