Have you ever been on a video call with someone where something just felt strange? You may have experienced a jump-scare prank in an online chat room during the early internet days. This is different. The person on the other end looks uncanny. Their face shifts and morphs in an unnatural amalgamation of pixels on your screen. It looks like they have some sort of filter over their face. Are they trying to hide their identity? As uncertainty creeps in, you begin to ask yourself — do scammers video call?
Why Do Scammers Fake Video Calls?
For many years, video calls were viewed as a way to undeniably confirm that online users were who they claimed. Many still hold this belief. However, scammers now have the capability to fake these calls. Elderly romance scams, investment fraud, and phishing attacks can all be carried out with an added level of perceived validity.
How Do Scammers Fake a Video Call?
Scammers use software that allows them to manipulate the video input on video call platforms. They can replace their camera feed with a video of their choosing and discreetly present it as a live video call. Scammers often steal videos from the internet, but recent advances in AI have made it possible to create fake videos.
Stolen Videos
Scammers may repurpose a video recording that was posted online in their video call. They may steal footage of an attractive individual to try to lure someone into a romance scam. Or even steal video from their victim to repurpose for their next target, establishing a perpetual cycle of deceit.
The restriction of using stolen video is that it is not interactive. The scammer may be able to convince their target it is a legitimate feed for a limited time. However, the façade falls apart when they can’t answer questions or their behavior is unnatural.
AI-Fueled Fakes
The limitations of stolen videos have been bridged with the advance of AI and deepfake technology. Now, scammers can take a few still images and use readily available deepfake software to create convincing doctored video that appears to depict someone else.
These AI scams can be made to depict any action, response, or backdrop that the scammer desires. They can even impose another video over the live video call feed, allowing the deepfake to interact in real time.
Real-World Video Call Scams
Exploring real scenarios where scammers used video calls to carry out their schemes can help illustrate their deceitful techniques. The following examples show how easy it is to fall into these scams with just one lapse of judgement.
Facebook Video Call Scam
A man named William Stone has been receiving an influx of messages asking if he’s okay. These aren’t just wellness checks from family and friends. They are a response to a video call from Stone, and messages asking for financial assistance. The only problem is that Stone has not called or messaged any of these contacts. His Facebook account was compromised after he answered a call and message from a friend who themselves was asking for help.
While on the call, scammers screen recorded the little interaction that was had with Stone, just as they had done with his friend. They then locked Stone from his account, likely through a malicious link in the message they sent. This scam is perpetuated with each new unsuspecting user who answers the call and opens the attachment in the message. Scammers record the video call, compromise the account, and send similar video chat scams to their Facebook friends.
This example demonstrates just how little effort is needed to pull off these video scams. It also shows that one emotion-driven decision to help an assumed friend or family member could lead to a trap. If you’re contacted by someone you know asking for help online, confirm the interaction through a second verified communication method.
Deepfake Video Call in the Senate
In September of 2024, the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was targeted in a deepfake video call scam. Sen. Ben Cardin received an email from a scammer posing as former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. According to a notice from the Senate’s security office, the email began a correspondence that included “politically charged questions”.
This culminated in a zoom call between the two parties. Cardin had previously spoken with Kuleba, and his appearance and speech were consistent with previous interactions. However, Cardin grew skeptical of the person on the other end. They began asking out of character questions and demanding firm stances on political conflicts.
Of these questions, the scammer asked Cardin if he supported sending long-range missiles into Russian territory. It was at this point that Cardin and his staff suspected the caller was a scammer trying to “bate the Senator into commenting on a political candidate. The call was ended, and Cardin’s office contacted the State Department who confirmed their suspicions.
This example shows that nobody is too big to fall for these scams, and no system is immune to vulnerabilities — even in the government. It also shows just how convincing these deepfake scams can be. And once again, we see the importance of confirming the validity of contact requests by checking through a confirmed contact method.
Sextortion Video Call Scam
When 24-year-old Ankit Kumar matched with a woman on an online dating app, the last thing on his mind was getting scammed. Things were off to a great start. Eventually, the woman who went by “Nandini” suggested that they move the conversation to WhatsApp for a video call.
When he joined, the woman on screen appeared naked on screen. Kumar’s face was visible in the other portion of the screen — and unbeknownst to him — the call was being recorded. Moments after the call, the scammer demanded roughly $400 USD not to expose the video, a crime known as sextortion.
Kumar initially complied with the scammer’s demands to avoid public embarrassment. However, the sextortionist soon returned with further demands. This time, Kumar reported the crime to the National Cybercrime Reporting portal. This triggered an investigation by the Cyber Police Station of Shahdara, where two men were arrested in connection to the crime.
This example serves as a valuable reminder of a number of cybersecurity best practices. For starters, you should avoid video calls with contacts who you do not know. Additionally, it is never a good idea to pay a cybercriminal of any kind. As you can see, it does nothing to guarantee they will stop their attack and often only incentivizes further demands. Finally, you should always report cybercrime to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
How Can You Spot a Video Call Scam?
Well done video call scams are extremely convincing. However, even the best fakes have some red flags you can pick up on if you know what to look for. The following red flags could save you from a potential video call scam.
- Irresponsive Correspondent. Does the person on the other end not seem to react to what is going on over the video call? Ask them a specific question or to complete a unique task. If they are unable to or simply ignore the request, it may be a stolen video.
- Glitches or Poor Quality. The person on the other end is responsive, but their face seems to morph unnaturally when they move. Or maybe the background around them seems fuzzy or distorted. These are common visual errors that pop up in AI-augmented deepfake content.
- Jumps or Loops in the Video Feed. Does the feed appear to be repeating the same cycle of footage. Maybe the video cuts from one scene to another, almost like a piece of content was removed or stitched together. This happens when the video is not long enough to encompass the entire video call.
Practices that Can Keep You Safe from Video Call Scams
In addition to knowing what to look for, there are actions you can take to avoid video call scams. Keep these suggestions in mind as you engage in virtual conversations.
- Verify Your Contacts. Avoid joining calls with people you’ve just met, and steer clear of online chat rooms that connect you with strangers. With deepfake capabilities, it can be challenging enough to confirm video of people you do know.
- Use Safe Platforms. Keep your video calls on legitimate, verified, and secure platforms. Avoid moving the conversation to third-party apps. Don’t click any links that are shared to you or open any strange attachments.
- Avoid Oversharing. Many people will read this and assume it means to avoid talking about personal information. And while this is true, you also need to be aware of the information your video reveals. Make sure your background doesn’t make your location identifiable.
- Stay Aware and Informed. Scammers are constantly coming up with new tactics to trick their targets. Likewise, technology is always evolving and developing new uses for both good and bad. You need the latest expert advice in cybersecurity, and a great place to find it is our blog.
