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The Italian business elite covered the fraud that used the voice of artificial intelligence that imitated Italian Defense Minister Guido Cosetto to ask the timing to pay millions to foreign bank accounts to help pay for the redemption of free Italian journalists who abducted abroad.
The fraud aimed at some of the most powerful Italian business barons, including Pirelli chair Marco Tronchetti Probura, fashion designer Giorgio Armani, co -founder of Prada Patrizio Bertelli, Tod’s owner Dilgo delgo della Valle, former Inter Milan Massimo Moratti and billionaire and Menarina family with knowledge of the investigation.
Although many were immediately suspicious, at least one persuaded to transfer 1 million euros to foreign bank accounts, after being falsely convinced that he would later compensate for the Bank of Italy for payment. So far, three Milan companies have submitted official complaints to the City Prosecutor’s Office, including the one who has become a victim of fraud.
The authorities familiar with the case say that the fraud included multiple circles of calling people posing as Croett’s staff and apparently using AI to convincingly simulate Croett’s voice. The goals were told that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government needed their help to rescue Italian journalists abducted in the Middle East.
“The Minister’s voice was reproduced,” said the Ministry of Defense officer. “It was sought by the money to pay for the ransom for Italian journalists abducted in the world. The false Cosetto said:” I can’t pay the ministry money, but you’ll get money from the Bank of Italy. “It was a fraud. That was not true.”
Investigators said the calls seem to come from telephone numbers belonging to the Staff of the Minister of Defense – which they believed was cloned.
The frauds moved only a few weeks after the meloni government negotiated the replacement of hostages where a young Italian journalist, Cecilia Sala, was exempt From the notorious Tehran prison, in exchange for Rome returning the Iranian engineer who wanted in the US for a scheme that provided sophisticated Us the technology of drones Iranian revolutionary guards.
Crosetto first sounded an alarm of “serious fraud” in the post office on social networks last week, saying that he wanted to raise public awareness so that “no one risks to the trap.”
The minister said he first discovered a fraud after being contacted by a distinguished entrepreneur he had not met before and transferred a large sum to a bank account detailed by the false “General Giovanni Montalbano” after talking to someone that he was a businessman I was convinced I was a Croattto.
Crosetto said that he later received calls from several other best entrepreneurs with whom the people who are considered to be members of his staff trying to organize the rescue of Italian journalists in the Middle East.
On Friday, the Bank of Italy warned that fraudsters were incorrectly using their name and logo to promise that the central bank would compensate for the money that the rich entrepreneurs had invested as contributions to the false rescue scheme.
“Banca d’Italia is in no way related to any of these requests,” the statement said, because she warned people not to suit and report such overtures to relevant authorities.
The Italian Business Elite is not the first targeted fraud that has been re -examined by rich individuals eager for the differences in a government that wants to save hostage.
A decade ago in France, more than 150 corporate chiefs, the heads of the state, ambassadors and religious leaders contacted in Strong fraud When a man who claims that the French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian then asked for millions of euros for the surgery of the highest government government, including the liberation of French journalists who were hostages in Syria.
Although they felt the most evil, the fraudsters were able to raise $ 85 million, including nearly $ 20 million from the late Ago Khan, leader of the world’s Muslim Ismaili. Ring guide Gilbert Chikli, Franko-Israeli, was convicted of multiple fraud points in 2020 and sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Additional Giuliana Ricozzi reporting
