Digital Attacks
AI impersonation fraud: three men, two of them Israelis, charged in New York over an alleged scheme that took $129 million from companies worldwide
AI impersonation fraud: New York prosecutors charged three men, two of them Israelis, accused of mimicking CEOs' voices to divert $129 million from companies.
In brief
- The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on November 5, 2026 that an indictment against Jacob Soall, Sharon Hazan and Guy Sheetrit had been unsealed.
- According to the indictment, between 2024 and 2026 the defendants and their co-conspirators used artificial intelligence to mimic the voice or image of CEOs and lawyers, and persuaded employees to wire money to accounts they controlled.
- According to the announcement, victim companies sent about $129 million. The release lists six companies in the U.S. and the U.K. that together sent about $31.9 million.
- All three were arrested in Spain and the U.K., and requests for their extradition are pending. They have not been convicted and are presumed innocent.
How the scheme allegedly worked
According to the announcement, the defendants and their co-conspirators typically posed as a company's CEO, told an employee about a confidential transaction, and used artificial intelligence to mimic the CEO's voice or image on calls. They then directed the employee to purported lawyers, whom they also impersonated, and finally instructed the employee to wire money to bank accounts they controlled (U.S. Department of Justice).
The funds were allegedly converted into cryptocurrency to conceal their source and split among the conspirators. According to the release, Soall impersonated U.K. lawyers using a handwritten script, and Hazan and Sheetrit laundered the funds. The money was sent to accounts in the U.S., Spain, Portugal, Greece, the UAE, Singapore, Austria, Slovakia and China.
Who was targeted
The release lists six companies: a Missouri hospital system ($4.83 million), a Rhode Island bank ($2.68 million), a California hospital system ($2.97 million), a U.K. fintech company ($11.58 million), a Massachusetts mutual fund company ($4.64 million) and a Florida pet food company ($5.24 million) (U.S. Department of Justice).
The defendants and the status of the case
According to the release, Soall, 41, of Marbella, Spain, and the U.K., was arrested in Spain in June 2026. Hazan, 54, of Israel, was arrested in Spain in August 2026, and according to the release was convicted in New York in 2008 of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Sheetrit, 42, of Israel and the UAE, was arrested in the U.K. in September 2026. The indictment was also reported by Ynet and Bizportal (Ynet, Bizportal).
Each is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft, money laundering conspiracy and two counts of money laundering. Some of the charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and the release notes that any sentence would be determined by a judge. The FBI, Spain's National Police and the U.K.'s National Crime Agency took part in the investigation.
Why it matters to companies in Israel
The scheme described does not require hacking a computer. It relies on an employee's trust in a familiar voice and on the urgency of a "confidential deal". Verification through a separate channel, such as calling back a known number, and a two-approver rule for unusual transfers are the basic safeguards. Once a transfer has gone out, time is critical for tracing the receiving accounts and contacting the banks and the authorities.
Sources: U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, 05.11.2026, Ynet, Bizportal.
Further reading: Fake profile: how to find out who is behind it, Money laundering red flags in a business, and our financial fraud investigations service.
The information in this section is general and is not legal advice. This report is based on the announcement by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York. An indictment is an accusation only, the defendants have not been convicted and are presumed innocent.
