Binance CCO Patrick Hillmann impersonated in deepfake scam

Hackers used AI-generated holograms of a senior Binance employee to deceive representatives of various cryptocurrency projects.

The AI hologram was used in Zoom calls to mislead crypto project representatives into believing they were discussing potential asset listings on Binance. 

The scheme only came to light when Binance COO Patrick Hillmann received messages from individuals thanking him for meetings he had never attended, raising suspicions about the legitimacy of these interactions.

Hillmann had no knowledge of these meetings because he is not part of the listing process at Binance, he said.

The event signals a growing challenge posed by deepfake technology and synthetic media in digital communication, necessitating more robust security protocols and public awareness campaigns to combat these kinds of threats.