SINGAPORE, May 15 — A victim has lost at least S$4.9 million (RM15.3 million) in a stunningly sophisticated scam that used deepfake AI technology to impersonate Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during a Zoom video conference.

The Singapore Police Force disclosed this in a public advisory yesterday, warning that scammers are now targeting business professionals with elaborate ruses involving the impersonation of senior government officials.

In this particular case, the elaborate deception began when the victim received a WhatsApp message from someone posing as the Secretary to the Cabinet, Wong Hong Kuan, instructing him to attend a meeting with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

The victim was then sent an email from a fraudulent address (WongHongKuan.secretarycabinet@proton.me) containing what appeared to be an official letter of guarantee.

The letter, bearing a forged signature of PM Wong, requested urgent funding assistance related to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and promised reimbursement by the Singapore Government within 15 days.

To further cement the illusion of legitimacy, the victim was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and provide a copy of his identification card.

The scam culminated in the victim being invited to a Zoom video conference, where he saw what appeared to be PM Wong and other local and overseas officials, their likenesses generated using deepfake technology.

Convinced by the meeting, the victim was contacted again via WhatsApp and proceeded to transfer the massive sum through a series of transactions to a corporate bank account provided by the scammers.

He only realised he had been scammed after feeling something was amiss and contacting the real Wong Hong Kuan.

Police noted that this modus operandi appears to specifically target business professionals who may have had prior interactions with government officials, making the initial contact seem more plausible.

In relation to earlier cases, three individuals have already been arrested and charged for their suspected involvement in related SIM card offences.