Italian police have recovered nearly one million euros that was fraudulently wired to a foreign bank account after scammers used AI to mimic the voice of Defence Minister Guido Crosetto. The criminals targeted prominent business leaders, convincing former Inter Milan owner Massimo Moratti to transfer funds under the false belief that he was assisting a government-backed operation.

The fraudsters posed as officials from the Italian defence ministry, claiming the money was needed to secure the release of kidnapped journalists in the Middle East. They used AI-generated voice cloning to impersonate Crosetto, making their deception appear highly credible. While Moratti was the only known victim to send money, other high-profile figures, including Giorgio Armani and Prada co-founder Patrizio Bertelli, were also approached.

Authorities initially feared the funds would be difficult to retrieve, but investigators traced the money to a Dutch bank account and successfully froze it. Crosetto praised the swift action of the police, calling it an 'excellent result' in the fight against increasingly sophisticated AI-driven fraud.