A social media account impersonating Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has been discovered to have targeted several high-ranking officials.
On Wednesday, the IOC confirmed that fake accounts impersonating Bach had been found on WhatsApp, Telegram, and through fraudulent email messages. These impersonators contacted top politicians and individuals involved in the Olympic movement. The IOC revealed that the perpetrators used advanced AI technology and deepfake audio to replicate Bach’s voice.
The IOC explained that the impersonation attempts aimed to gather sensitive information, lure recipients into confidential conversations, and attempt to gain unauthorized access to their systems. The committee further disclosed that the impersonators even tried to contact Bach himself, pretending to be senior political figures to gain access to sensitive data.
The IOC warned about these actions’ growing sophistication and broad reach, urging everyone to exercise extreme caution when receiving unsolicited messages or communications.