Hackers target major Wall Street firms with AI voice phishing attacks

Cybercriminals used AI-cloned voices to impersonate executives at Two Sigma Investments, Citadel, and Point72 Asset Management in a wave of vishing attacks, with Two Sigma confirming it thwarted the attempt with no data compromise. No successful breaches from these specific incidents have been reported, but industry projections estimate generative AI fraud losses could reach $40 billion annually by 2027, following incidents like a 2025 $25 million loss and a $243,000 UK energy firm scam.

Via forbesglobalproperties.com Hackers target major Wall Street firms with AI voice phishing attacks Cybercriminals used AI-cloned voices to impersonate executives at Two Sigma, Citadel, and Point72 in a wave of sophisticated vishing attacks Someone called your boss. It sounded exactly like your boss. It wasn’t your boss. That’s the unsettling reality now facing some of the most powerful financial firms in the world. A wave of AI-powered voice phishing attacks, known in security circles as “vishing,” has targeted major Wall Street hedge funds and private equity firms, with cybercriminals deploying voice-cloning technology to impersonate executives and trusted colleagues. Among the targets: Two Sigma Investments, Citadel, and Point72 Asset Management. Three firms that collectively manage hundreds of billions of dollars. Two Sigma, which oversees roughly $75 billion in assets under management, confirmed it successfully thwarted the attempt with no data compromise or system impact. Citadel and Point72 both declined to comment. Deepfake voices, real consequences The attackers used advanced AI voice-cloning technology to create near-perfect replicas of known executives’ voices. These synthetic voices were then deployed through phone calls and audio messages, designed to trick employees into sharing sensitive information or granting unauthorized network access. No successful breaches from these specific incidents have been reported. In 2025, a multinational firm lost nearly $25 million after employees fell for an AI-cloned CEO voicemail. Before that, a UK energy firm was duped out of $243,000 in a similar CEO voice-cloning scam. A $40 billion problem by 2027 AI-enabled fraud incidents surged dramatically in 2025, and industry projections estimate that generative AI fraud losses could reach $40 billion annually by 2027. Voice-cloning tools are increasingly accessible and affordable. Training a convincing model requires only a few minutes of publicly available audio, the kind readily available from earnings calls, conference panels, podcast appearances, and media interviews. Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy https://cryptobriefing.com/editorial-policy/ .