Three men accused of AI-enabled fraud that allegedly stole $129m from firms

Three men have been charged in the US over an alleged AI-enabled fraud that prosecutors say stole more than $129m from companies worldwide between 2024 and 2026. The case highlights how criminals can use fabricated voices and images of executives and lawyers to make fraudulent payment requests seem credible.

The indictment alleges Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan and Guy Sheetrit posed as company leaders, then as lawyers, and persuaded employees to wire money for supposed sensitive transactions. The alleged victims included US hospitals, a bank, a mutual fund, a Florida pet food company and a UK technology firm, which lost more than $11m. The money was sent to accounts across several countries, converted into cryptocurrency and shared among the accused and alleged co-conspirators; the men face wire fraud, money-laundering conspiracy and aggravated identity theft charges.