Singapore police obtain deepfake footage used in S$4.9 million government impersonation scam

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) announced on 16 May 2025 that it has obtained footage of an artificial intelligence-generated Zoom video conference used as part of a sophisticated scam involving the impersonation of senior government officials, including Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

The disclosure follows an earlier police advisory issued on Thursday warning of a growing number of such cases.

In one confirmed incident, a victim lost at least S$4.9 million (US$3.8 million) after being deceived into believing they were participating in a government-sanctioned funding arrangement connected to the Strait of Hormuz.

How the scam operated

Victims were typically first contacted via WhatsApp by a scammer posing as the secretary to the Cabinet. The scammer would request that the victim attend an online meeting with Prime Minister Wong.

The victim would then be invited to join a Zoom video conference fabricated using deepfake artificial intelligence technology. The session was designed to appear as a high-level government meeting involving local and foreign officials.

The footage obtained by police depicted a fabricated conference ostensibly addressing the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. It purported to show Prime Minister Wong, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister Indranee Rajah, and representatives from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

The fabricated meeting also appeared to include foreign government officials, among them Canada's foreign minister and the senior diplomatic advisor to the president of the United Arab Emirates.

Representatives from private sector entities, including Blackrock and the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), were also presented as participants.

The victim's role in the staged conference

According to police, the victim would be introduced to the meeting as one of the private sector participants. The video conference would proceed with what appeared to be a briefing by the assembled government officials on the Strait of Hormuz situation.

The session would conclude with a deepfake video of Prime Minister Wong delivering closing remarks, which included a personalised acknowledgement of the victim's attendance.

Following the conference, a scammer posing as a lawyer would separately contact the victim and persuade them to transfer funds.

Police said the scammers appear to be deliberately targeting business professionals who have had prior interactions with government officials.

Signs of deepfake manipulation

Upon examining the footage, police identified several indicators that the content had been artificially generated.

First, the speech did not synchronise with the lip movements of the speakers on screen, suggesting that fabricated audio had been layered over pre-recorded video of the impersonated officials.

Second, the audio was broadcast through a single Zoom account for the duration of the call, rather than through the individual accounts of the purported participants. Police said this confirmed that pre-recorded and inauthentic speech had been overlaid onto the video and transmitted via one central account.

Third, the footage showed a distorted background and a partially obscured Zoom logo that did not align correctly with the foreground elements. Police said this was consistent with video manipulation using artificial intelligence tools.

Public advisory

Police cautioned that deepfake fabrications can be highly sophisticated, and that it may be difficult for ordinary viewers to distinguish authentic content from manipulated material.

The SPF reiterated that Singapore government officials will never, through email, phone, or video calls, ask members of the public to transfer money, disclose bank login credentials, or install mobile applications from unofficial sources. Government officials will also never transfer a call to police or other government agencies.

Members of the public who suspect they have been contacted as part of a scam are encouraged to report the matter to the relevant platform administrator or to the police directly. The ScamShield helpline is available at 1799 for verification purposes.