The Rising Corporate Threat of Deepfakes: What Your Team Must Know

Every year, companies are scammed out of millions of dollars by cyber criminals using sophisticated AI tactics. Fake calls and videos that impersonate company leaders are an increasing threat that's extremely difficult to identify and combat. As generative AI tools become more accessible, deepfakes are actively being used in phishing, fraud, impersonation, and social engineering attacks.

For modern organizations, the challenge is no longer just awareness, but how to protect your team from deepfake scams that bypass traditional security controls and exploit human trust directly.

Many organizations already invest in basic phishing awareness training. But the typical don't‑click‑suspicious‑links curriculum doesn't prepare employees for deepfake‑driven voice, video, or image scams, where a trusted face or voice is faked on purpose. Effective deepfake protection for employees requires preparing them for attacks that sound real, look real, and feel urgent.

In this article, we'll walk through what deepfakes are, why they matter for enterprise security, and most importantly, concrete steps you and your organization can take to defend yourselves through modern deepfake fraud prevention strategies.

What are deepfakes, and why are they a security threat?

A deepfake is synthetic media, an image, audio, or video that has been manipulated or generated using artificial intelligence so convincingly that it appears real. The term combines "deep" (from deep learning) and "fake." These tools often use advanced machine‑learning techniques such as neural networks to merge or synthesize faces, voices, or movements.

Deepfakes can take different forms:

• Image-based deepfakes: where a person's face is superimposed onto another body or photo
• Audio/voice deepfakes: where someone's voice is cloned to make it sound like they said something they never did
• Video deepfakes: combining both audio and visual manipulation to create entirely fabricated but believable video footage

Deepfakes first gained widespread attention through sensational media, misinformation videos, and political hoaxes. Now, they're a serious corporate and security threat. What once was novelty or trolling is now weaponized in fraud, impersonation, blackmail, disinformation, and financial crime—making deepfake fraud prevention a growing priority for enterprises of all sizes.

In one documented case, attackers used deepfake voice impersonation to trick a company executive into believing they were speaking with their parent company's chief executive. This resulted in a transfer of $243,000 to a fraudulent vendor account.

Fraudsters increasingly rely on voice cloning and synthetic media as their top attack vectors because such attacks are cheap, fast, convincing, and difficult for humans to detect. As of 2025, AI deepfake technology is used in 66% of impersonation scams.

What once required specialized skills is now available to attackers with even limited resources. This shift has transformed deepfakes from a fringe curiosity into a scalable threat affecting everyday organizations and individuals.

5 ways deepfakes are being used in cyber attacks today

Modern cybersecurity needs more than just multi-factor authentication and biannual lessons.

1. CEO voice cloning in financial fraud

Attackers are using deep‑fake voice‑cloning technology to impersonate high‑level executives and trick employees into approving unauthorized payments.

An example involves a large global agency: attackers created a fake account impersonating the CEO (using his publicly available photo). They arranged a meeting via an instant‑messaging platform, using voice cloning, and even a video feed, to attempt a fraudulent business transaction.

2. Fake video messages / video‑call impersonation in executive impersonation

Deepfake technology isn't limited to audio. Attackers are combining video manipulation with voice cloning to create convincing video calls, impersonating trusted personnel.

In one example, a threat actor group studied in 2024 created deepfake videos promoting fake investment schemes or giveaway scams.

In corporate contexts, this could translate to a deepfake CEO video message to employees or vendors saying, "We need to expedite this payment," or "complete this urgent contract." Given the realism, unsuspecting staff may comply,  making this a powerful tool for fraud.

3. Deepfake audio in social‑engineering attacks

Voice phishing, known as vishing, is one of the most direct ways deepfakes are abused. With only a short voice sample, attackers can clone someone's voice and conduct live or prerecorded calls that sound authentic.

43% of companies reporting at least one attempted call in 2025. Vishing calls are used for a range of scams: impersonating coworkers, suppliers, executives, or external vendors to request password resets, financial transfers, or confidential information.

Because human ears struggle to distinguish synthetic voices from real ones, especially in a stressful or rushed environment, these attacks exploit a fundamental weakness: trust in voice as identity.

4. Synthetic‑identity videos in HR / recruitment scams

Deepfakes are also infiltrating hiring and recruitment processes. Attackers create synthetic‑identity videos, fake applicants, or "recruiters" using deepfake video and voice, to trick HR teams or job seekers. These scams request personal information, identity documents, or even upfront "processing fees" under the guise of a legitimate job offer.

This replaces traditional fake recruiter email scams with something far more convincing. While this vector remains less publicized compared to corporate fraud, security researchers have flagged it as a growing trend.

5. Manipulated content in disinformation campaigns and social‑engineering at scale

Beyond fraud and financial crime, deepfakes are weaponized for disinformation, manipulation, and large‑scale deception. Fake videos or audio of public figures, politicians, celebrities, or even corporate spokespeople can be used to spread false statements or trigger reputational damage.

For example, threat‑actor groups have used deepfake video campaigns to promote fake investment schemes or government-backed giveaways, distributing them broadly online to prey on unsuspecting or vulnerable audiences.

In corporate or organizational settings, such manipulated content could be used to impersonate senior leadership or execute targeted social‑engineering at scale.

How to spot a deepfake: key behavioral and technical cues

Use this expert know-how to spot potential deepfakes and keep safe from cyber threats.

Inconsistent facial expressions or lip‑syncing

One of the most common giveaways of a video deepfake is when facial expressions, mouth movements, or blinking behavior don't quite match natural human behavior. Deepfake algorithms still struggle with realistic blinking, natural eye movement, and smooth lip‑syncing. For example:

• Lips may move slightly before or after the audio. A small delay (even 100–300 ms) can be a hint that the video is synthetic.
• Facial features may look subtly off: skin texture too smooth, edges around the jawline or hairline blurry or warped, or teeth and mouth shapes distorted.
• Eye movement may be abnormal. For example, blinking too little or not at all, or "static" eyes that don't react to light or shift naturally.

If a face looks "too perfect," or a simple lip‑to‑speech test feels "a bit off," these are red flags worthy of closer scrutiny.

Background noise and speech cadence

Audio-based or video-based deepfakes often betray themselves through subtle audio flaws. If a video or call seems "too clean," or the voice lacks natural breathiness or background context, you might be dealing with a synthetic audio or video.

Some of the cues to watch for include:

• Speech that feels too smooth, even, or "polished," lacking the natural variation in tone, pauses, breaths, or emotional inflections that real people exhibit.
• Unnatural pauses or flat intonation that doesn't match the emotional weight of the message.
• Background noise or ambient sound that feels inconsistent or absent; in many cases, deepfake audio lacks the subtle ambient cues and background chatter that would be present in a real recording.

Mismatched context or unusual requests

Beyond technical anomalies, context and content often provide the strongest clues that something is off. Consider whether the message fits with what you'd expect from the speaker, and whether the request is unusual or out‑of-band.

Does the message arrive via an unexpected channel or medium? For example, an executive's "video call" on an untested platform, or a voice call out of the blue requesting a wire transfer, using information only a family member would know.

Is the request unusually urgent, emotionally manipulative, or pressuring you to act quickly—for example, "authorize the transfer now, no questions asked"? Scammers often use manufactured urgency to distract from doubts.

Is the content uncharacteristic: e.g., tone, formality, or phrasing that differs from prior communications from that person? A fake may slip because it lacks subtle linguistic or behavioral patterns the real person regularly displays.

Lack of channel consistency

Pay attention to whether the communication channel matches past behavior from the same person. Deepfake-based attacks often exploit unexpected or inconsistent channels to bypass normal verification habits.

• If you typically receive instructions from a senior leader via email, and suddenly you get a voice call or video call instructing a payment, then that shift alone may warrant verification.
• Similarly, be skeptical if a recruiter, HR rep, or vendor contacts you via unorthodox methods (social media DM, random phone call, unmanaged video link) rather than established company communication channels.
• In general, if someone asks you to switch channels, e.g., from email to a video call, or from a formal request to an informal chat, then this inconsistency could be a deliberate tactic to confuse verification practices.

How to prepare employees to recognize and respond to deepfakes

The goal of deepfake preparedness is to give employees a clear, repeatable playbook they can rely on when something feels off. Because deepfakes exploit trust and urgency, training must focus on what to do in the moment—not just what to watch for. Employees should practice the same steps repeatedly so pausing, verifying through a trusted channel, and escalating concerns become automatic.

This guidance needs to be integrated into daily workflows and reinforced over time, not treated as a one-time training event. When people know exactly how to respond, they act with confidence instead of hesitation.

Run regular, role-based simulations

The most effective defense is experiential learning. Adaptive Security's platform includes role-based deepfake simulations tailored to risk profiles—from finance teams fielding CEO voice clones to HR staff encountering fake recruiter videos.

By using realistic scenarios that replicate actual threats, organizations can strengthen employees' muscle memory for detecting and responding to attacks early.

Include deepfake scenarios in phishing programs

Phishing is no longer just about sketchy emails. Modern social engineering blends formats: a fake video sent via Teams, a spoofed voice call, a realistic but forged recruiter profile. Phishing awareness programs need to evolve accordingly.

Embedding deepfake scenarios, such as simulated vishing, AI-generated audio requests, or fake vendor video calls, into your existing phishing training helps employees recalibrate what "social engineering" can look like today.

Provide contextual response playbooks: "Pause, verify, escalate."

When employees encounter suspicious communications, they often hesitate: "What if I'm wrong?" or "Is this urgent?" A clear playbook helps reduce that friction.

Adaptive recommends a simple triage flow:

• Pause: Don't act immediately on high-pressure requests.
• Verify: Use an alternate, verified channel to check the authenticity (e.g., Slack ping, official phone number, in-person ask).
• Escalate: If in doubt, report to IT/security immediately.

Including these behavioral cues in simulations (and reinforcing them in team meetings or microlearning) turns guidelines into habits.

Reward reporting over punishing mistakes

Deepfake detection isn't perfect, and even trained professionals can be fooled. Adaptive emphasizes positive reinforcement over punitive responses. When employees feel safe reporting suspicions (even if they're wrong), it creates a stronger line of defense.

Instead of blaming users post-incident, celebrate "good catches," highlight learning moments, and debrief openly after simulated or real events. This approach reinforces a proactive, behavior-first mindset that scales trust.

Focus on psychological readiness, not just technical skill

Most employees don't think like attackers. They think like people, trying to respond, comply, and not slow things down. Deepfakes exploit this mindset. That's why preparedness needs to address emotional and cognitive triggers, not just technical detection.

Adaptive's training includes modules on urgency manipulation, authority bias, and fear-of-failure; the very levers deepfake attackers pull. By naming these patterns and rehearsing calm responses, employees become more confident and resilient in high-stress situations.

Why Adaptive Security is built for real-world deepfake defense

Deepfakes aren't just a technical challenge. They're a human risk issue. And that's exactly where Adaptive Security excels.

While most platforms react after an attack or focus narrowly on phishing emails, Adaptive simulates AI-powered threats across channels, voice, video, image, and text, in real-world contexts your employees actually face.

Before you roll out another training program, book a demo to see why leading enterprises are shifting to experiential, AI-powered defense.

FAQs about protecting against deepfakes

How do you know if something is a deepfake?

Look for real-time visual inconsistencies (lip-sync delays, blinking issues), audio oddities (flat tone, unnatural cadence), and behavioral red flags (unusual urgency or unfamiliar channels). Trust your instincts, and if something feels "off," pause and verify through a known method.

Are deepfakes a concern for executives?

Yes. Executives are prime targets for impersonation because of their authority and visibility. Deepfakes can be used to approve fake wire transfers, manipulate stock prices, or damage reputation, making executive impersonation one of the most high-impact attack types.

Can security awareness training actually prevent deepfake scams?

Yes, but only if it reflects real threats. Traditional training misses AI-driven scams, and detection tools can only help so much. Adaptive's simulations help employees recognize voice and video manipulation cues, practice response steps, and build confidence in a safe environment, before a real attack occurs.

What's the most common type of deepfake attack?

Currently, voice cloning for financial fraud is the most frequent and scalable. It requires little effort, yields high reward, and can be deployed through simple vishing calls or urgent voice messages impersonating leadership.

What's a simple deepfake defense checklist for employees?

• Slow down on urgent requests.
• Check the channel and context.
• Verify identity with a known method.
• Report anything that feels off.