Case banque-de-france-governor-deepfakeDeepfake fraudFrance
Banque de France warns of deepfakes of governor Villeroy de Galhau selling investments
The French central bank and ACPR issued a joint alert about AI deepfakes of Governor Villeroy de Galhau and ACPR chief Emmanuelle Assouan recommending investments, followed by calls demanding advance fees.
MediumAttack using AIStatus: UnresolvedVerified case file
Open in the interactive mapCite this case
- Reported
- Apr 27, 2026
- Location
- France
- Target
- French savers over 50 and companies
- Severity
- Medium
- Triggered by
- Unknown
- Actor type
- Criminal
- Reported loss
- None reported
- CVE
- None
What happened
The French central bank and ACPR issued a joint alert about AI deepfakes of Governor Villeroy de Galhau and ACPR chief Emmanuelle Assouan recommending investments, followed by calls demanding advance fees.
Impact: Victim numbers and losses not disclosed; both individuals and companies targeted with fake aid programmes.
Who triggered it
Actor: Unknown
Attribution: No attribution; the institutions described organised fraud groups using social media ads.
Motive: Advance-fee and fake investment fraud.
How it happened
Attack vector: Social media deepfake videos cloning voice and expressions, then email or phone follow-up by fake central bank officials citing inheritances or blocked savings.
Root cause: High public trust in central bank officials combined with inexpensive video cloning.
Timeline
- Joint Banque de France and ACPR press release published
- French press reports on the campaign
Response
Public warning that no official will ever recommend a product, with advice to verify through official channels.
Current status: Unresolved
Sources (open in a new tab)
- Banque de France banque-france.fr
- Le Journal de l'Economie journaldeleconomie.fr
- Economie Matin economiematin.fr
Cite this case
Banque de France warns of deepfakes of governor Villeroy de Galhau selling investments. AI Threat Watch, case banque-de-france-governor-deepfake, Apr 27, 2026. https://aithreat.io/cases/banque-de-france-governor-deepfake/
Permanent link: https://aithreat.io/cases/banque-de-france-governor-deepfake/