Crypto Execs Beware: The Deepfake Dilemma That Could Drain Your Wallet! 💸

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It appears that the nefarious denizens of the digital underworld have taken a fancy to our dear crypto executives, launching a veritable onslaught of AI-powered deepfake impersonation attacks. And who should step into the fray but none other than Binance’s very own Changpeng Zhao, affectionately known as CZ. It seems our hero has donned his armor of caution and is sounding the alarm bells with all the fervor of a town crier on a particularly busy market day.

In a recent tête-à-tête with the public, CZ, the former captain of the Binance ship, urged the crypto community to keep their wits about them. After all, the threat of deepfakes is growing faster than a weed in a neglected garden, and soon enough, video verification might be as reliable as a politician’s promise. His words were prompted by a rather alarming post from the Japanese crypto maven, Mai Fujimoto, who regaled us with her own harrowing tale of woe.

“AI already used in new types deepfake hacking. Even a video call verification will soon be out of the window. 😨😱

Don’t install software from a non-official link, especially NOT from your ‘friends’ (they are most likely hacked).”

— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) June 20, 2025

According to the intrepid Fujimoto, her attackers masqueraded as a familiar face during what she thought was a perfectly ordinary Zoom call. In a plot twist worthy of a second-rate detective novel, the impersonator raised concerns about her audio quality and slyly shared a link to what was purportedly a software update. Alas, upon clicking the link, she unwittingly rolled out the welcome mat for the hackers, who promptly waltzed into her systems, pilfering sensitive data and commandeering her official X, Telegram, and Metamask accounts. Quite the digital heist, wouldn’t you say?

“When I opened the Zoom link, her face appeared, so I didn’t suspect anything,” she lamented, adding, “If I had known about this kind of attack, I might not have clicked the link. I want everyone to be aware of this and take caution to prevent similar incidents.” A noble sentiment, indeed, though one can’t help but wonder if a little more skepticism might have served her better.

Fujimoto’s misadventure is but a chapter in a larger saga, as former Animoca exec Mehdi Farooq recounted a nearly identical Zoom caper. In his case, the dastardly attackers employed deepfakes of two of his acquaintances, leading him down the garden path to a similar fate. After being coaxed into updating his app due to complaints about his audio quality, he found himself six crypto wallets lighter, with most of his savings vanishing faster than a magician’s rabbit. Poof!

Founders from Manta Network, Mon Protocol, Stably, and Devdock AI have also reported similar phishing attempts, raising the alarm about what seems to be a coordinated wave of attacks. It’s as if the hackers have formed a club, complete with secret handshakes and a shared disdain for the unsuspecting.

Security analysts have traced this nefarious scheme back to the infamous Lazarus group, a band of digital rogues backed by North Korea, known for their relentless targeting of the crypto industry and their penchant for grand theft. One can only imagine their lair, filled with screens displaying the latest exploits and a trophy wall of stolen crypto.

A recent report from Bitget revealed that AI-generated deepfake impersonations of government officials, billionaires, and celebrities accounted for a staggering 40% of “high-value frauds” in 2024. It seems the industry is in dire need of stricter security measures and a healthy dose of vigilance. So, dear reader, keep your eyes peeled and your software updated—lest you find yourself the unwitting star of your own cautionary tale!

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2025-06-20 17:09