AI-powered financial fraud: recognising and resisting the new generation of scams

A client awareness guide from Hercle

Artificial Intelligence has transformed the landscape of financial fraud. Criminals now use AI to create convincing fake voices, videos, websites, and personalised messages at scale. As a Hercle client managing digital and fiat assets, understanding these techniques is an essential part of protecting your wealth.

How AI has changed the threat

Traditional fraud relied on obvious signals: poor grammar, generic messaging, implausible scenarios. AI has eroded many of these detection cues. Fraudsters can now generate highly polished phishing emails tailored to your profile, clone the voice of a person you trust, or produce a video deepfake of a public figure — all in minutes, at low cost.

This does not mean fraud is undetectable. It means the warning signs have shifted, and awareness is more important than ever.

Scam types relevant to Hercle clients

Impersonation and deepfakes

You receive an unexpected call, video message, or voice note from someone appearing to be a Hercle team member, a financial authority, a family member, or a known public figure. The voice or face may look and sound entirely authentic. The caller creates urgency: suspicious activity on your account, an immediate transfer needed to secure funds, or a time-sensitive investment opportunity.

AI-generated deepfakes can replicate facial expressions, lip movements, and voice patterns with remarkable accuracy. A robotic tone or misaligned lips may indicate a fake — but increasingly, these imperfections are harder to spot.

✅ What to do: end the call. Contact the person or institution through a number you have independently verified. For family members, use a pre-agreed 'safe word' to confirm identity. Hercle will never call you unexpectedly to request a fund transfer.

You receive an email or message appearing to come from Hercle or a financial institution, warning of suspicious activity and urging you to verify your account or reset credentials. The layout, logo, and language look entirely professional — often because AI was used to craft it. The link leads to a fake site designed to harvest your login details.

AI enables fraudsters to analyse your public social media and tailor the message specifically to you, referencing details that make it appear legitimate.

✅ What to do: never click links in unsolicited messages. Access your accounts directly via verified URLs. Check for subtle misspellings in the domain name. Look for HTTPS. When in doubt, contact Hercle directly.

Investment and insurance scams

An advertisement — often featuring a celebrity endorsement or a well-known brand — promotes a limited-time, low-risk investment opportunity. After you express interest, you are guided through a professional-looking onboarding process with convincing documents and communications. AI-powered social media bots interact with you, post fake reviews, and simulate real user behaviour to build trust.

The investment platform may appear entirely credible. Withdrawals are initially permitted in small amounts to reinforce trust before larger sums are requested.

✅ What to do: verify any investment company independently via your national financial authority or the IOSCO I-SCAN list (iosco.org/i-scan). If returns sound too good to be true, they are. Hercle never promotes third-party investment opportunities.

Romance fraud

Fraudsters use AI-generated profiles and chatbots to build relationships over time on social media or messaging apps, then steer the conversation toward financial opportunities or requests for money. Stolen or AI-generated images make these profiles appear authentic.

Purchase scam

You find an attractive deal on an online marketplace. The seller requests payment outside the official platform via a link to a bank authentication page. The page is AI-generated and visually identical to your actual bank's login portal. You enter your credentials and they are stolen.

AI chatbots may respond to your questions to make the transaction feel credible throughout the process.

Key warning signs

A promise that seems too good to be true or guarantees unusually high returns
Urgent requests for money, personal data, or account credentials — regardless of who appears to be asking
Requests to transfer funds to an unfamiliar account 'for safety'
Any request for passwords, PINs, or security codes — via any channel
Links or attachments from unsolicited messages
Requests to install software, grant remote access, or share your screen
A voice or video call where something feels slightly off, even if you cannot identify exactly what
A website that looks professional but lacks verified registration information or has minor URL discrepancies

Eight habits that protect you

Never share banking credentials, passwords, PINs, or security codes with anyone.
Pause when pressure is applied. Urgency is a manipulation technique.
Verify independently the identity of any caller before acting — even if the number matches.
Agree on a safe word with trusted family members to use in urgent requests.
Use only official contact details from sources you have previously verified.
Keep all devices, software, and antivirus protections current.
Enable multi-factor authentication on all accounts.
Limit what you share publicly about your financial activity and holdings.

Hercle security note

At Hercle, we apply rigorous controls to the custody and transfer of your fiat and crypto assets. Our communications with clients follow strict protocols: we will never ask you to move funds urgently, share passwords, or install software over the phone or by email.

If you are ever uncertain whether a communication is genuinely from Hercle, please contact your relationship manager directly using contact details you have independently verified.

If you have been defrauded

Stop all further transactions immediately.
Contact Hercle via official channels — do not use contact details provided by the suspected fraudster.
Change passwords on all accounts and devices.
Report to the police or your national financial authority.
Alert your network so others can protect themselves.

⚠️ Be alert to follow-on scams: 'recovery room' fraudsters specifically target prior victims, claiming they can recover lost funds for a fee. This is almost certainly another scam.

Still have questions? Contact our team through the official Hercle portal or reach out to your relationship manager directly. You can also contact us at matteo@hercle.com or risk@hercle.com.