Executive Deepfakes: The New Frontier of Social Engineering

In today’s digital landscape, senior executives aren’t just leading organizations; they’re becoming prime targets. For auto, RV, and powersport dealerships, where leadership often holds direct access to financial systems, customer data, and vendor relationships, the risk is especially acute. But this threat extends far beyond the showroom floor. Any organization with high-profile executives and valuable data is in the crosshairs.

Social engineering has evolved. It’s no longer just phishing emails or spoofed texts. Thanks to generative AI, attackers can now convincingly impersonate executives using deepfake audio and video. With just a few seconds of publicly available footage, often pulled from social media, webinars, or company websites, bad actors can clone a voice or face with startling realism. These synthetic identities are then used to authorize wire transfers, manipulate employees, or deceive family members.

Real-world incidents are piling up. A bank manager wired $35 million after receiving a call from a “director” whose voice was AI-generated. A dealership employee joined a video call with what appeared to be the CFO, only to learn later it was a deepfake used to approve fraudulent transactions. Even more chilling, a mother received a ransom call using her daughter’s cloned voice, created from just three seconds of audio. According to the American Bar Association, global losses from AI-cloned-voice scams exceeded $200 million in just Q1 2025.

The raw material for these attacks is surprisingly easy to find. Executives who speak at conferences, appear in promotional videos, or post casually on social media are unknowingly feeding the data pool. LinkedIn profiles, YouTube interviews, TED Talks and even podcast appearances are all fair game. The more visible the leader, the richer the target.

So what can be done?

Executives should consider dialing back their public exposure on publicly accessible media like TED talks, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, which limits what hackers can use to build digital personas. Establishing family/business-specific code words for emergencies or financial transactions is a simple but powerful safeguard. Organizations, meanwhile, need to rethink verification protocols. Sensitive requests should be confirmed through multiple channels, not just a voice or video. Staff training is critical: employees must learn to question urgency, authority, and unexpected requests, even when they seem to come from familiar faces.

At Accelerate2Compliance (A2C), we’re helping dealerships and enterprise leaders stay ahead of these threats. We can work with you to design a custom executive training program to build awareness, reduce exposure, and enhance organizational resilience. Protecting your leadership means protecting your business. Let A2C help you build a resilient front line. Contact us at [email protected] or visit our website.

Matt Vatter

Chief Compliance Officer, Accelerate2Compliance