The fake CEO on WhatsApp

Your CEO messages from a new number about a secret deal. A lawyer, an NDA and the regulator are all mentioned — to make it feel official.

What it looks like

WhatsApp · Your CEO (new number)

Big acquisition pending. Our lawyer will send you an NDA in a minute — the regulator has already been informed. Total discretion, please.

How it usually ends

It wasn't your CEO. The profile photo was copied from the company website, and the voice call that followed was cloned.

Red flags

Not the CEO's usual number
Borrowed profile photo
Third-party props: lawyer, NDA, 'regulator informed'

A real case

In July 2024 a Ferrari executive got WhatsApp messages and a cloned-voice call from “CEO Benedetto Vigna.” He asked about a book Vigna had recommended, and the caller hung up.

What to do

Check through the CEO’s usual channel, or ask something only they would know.
Treat “lawyers” and “the regulator knows” as props, not proof.
Keep payment approvals inside the normal workflow, however senior the request.

Could you spot it in the moment?

In Painted Sky you’re born at random somewhere on Earth and live a whole life — and this scam is one of the fakes that can find you. Make the call yourself, then replay the same life with a lens that shows what was fake.

Play Painted Sky — free →