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A Ferrari executive reportedly challenged a caller impersonating CEO Benedetto Vigna with a question about a recently recommended book. When the caller could not answer and ended the call, the exchange exposed a key lesson: a convincing voice—and even a familiar phone conversation—does not prove identity.
What happened in the reported Ferrari incident?
Fortune reported on July 27, 2024, that the executive first received WhatsApp messages from a number that was not Vigna’s usual business number. The sender said he was using a different number because of a confidential deal and raised a major acquisition, possible China-related complications and an urgent currency-hedging transaction.
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The messages were followed by a call from someone who sounded like Vigna and reportedly reproduced his southern Italian accent. The executive nevertheless noticed details that felt wrong, including slightly mechanical intonation.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →According to people familiar with the episode, the executive asked: “What was the title of the book Vigna had just recommended to him a few days earlier?” The answer was Decalogue of Complexity: Acting, Learning and Adapting in the Incessant Becoming of the World, by Alberto Felice De Toni. The caller ended the call. Ferrari reportedly opened an internal investigation, while Ferrari representatives declined to comment to Fortune.
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A 2025 anti-fraud guideline from Saudi Arabia’s Digital Government Authority later summarized a similar account. That guideline is a later summary, not a public Ferrari incident statement.
Why the caller’s voice was not enough
The reported imitation sounded sufficiently like Vigna to sustain a conversation, but voice quality is only one part of authentication. Generative-AI tools can reproduce speech patterns, accents and vocal timbre from relatively small amounts of recorded audio.
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Federal Reserve Governor Michael S. Barr warned in an April 17, 2025 speech on bank cybersecurity: “Identity verification standards at banks often use voice detection, which may become vulnerable to Gen AI tools.” The warning applies beyond banks: a caller can sound right while the device, number, story or requested action is wrong.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsBarr’s speech also relayed a 2024 survey finding that more than 10 percent of companies had experienced deepfake-fraud attempts. That figure is attributed to Barr’s account of the survey, which cited a business.com article; the speech passage does not establish the survey’s full methodology or population.
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The private question helped—but it was not a security protocol
The book question worked because it tested recent, shared context that an outsider would be unlikely to know. It also forced the caller to respond without relying on a prepared script. But a personal question is not a universal or foolproof verification method:
- An attacker may know the answer through social media, a compromised mailbox or another insider.
- The legitimate executive may forget the detail or give a different answer.
- Using publicly discoverable facts as standing “security questions” creates a new target for attackers.
In this incident, the question was a warning signal and a reason to stop—not proof that the caller was fraudulent by itself.
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How to verify a caller requesting money or confidential action
When a supposed executive asks for a transfer, hedging transaction, acquisition assistance or confidential information, treat the request as unverified until you complete an independent callback.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall- Stop the transaction. Do not authorize a payment, disclose credentials or forward documents while the caller is pressing for immediate action.
- End the call. TechCrunch advises hanging up when a call seems suspicious rather than continuing to test the person in the same session.
- Find a trusted contact route independently. Use the company directory, an official website or app, or a previously verified number. Do not use the number, link or callback route supplied in the message.
- Confirm through a second channel. Contact the executive’s assistant, another authorized leader or the finance-control team using established contact details. Explain that you are verifying a sensitive request, not merely returning a call.
- Apply normal approval controls. Require the usual purchase, treasury, legal and dual-authorization steps, even when the request appears to come from the CEO.
- Preserve evidence and report it. Save messages, caller details, timestamps and payment instructions for your security or fraud team. If money moved, contact the bank immediately and follow the organization’s incident process.
Warning signs visible in the Ferrari account
| Signal | Why it mattered |
|---|---|
| Unfamiliar WhatsApp number | The sender claimed a new number, so the identity had not been established through a trusted channel. |
| Confidential acquisition story | Secrecy reduced the chance that the recipient would consult colleagues. |
| Urgent currency-hedging request | A financial action created pressure to act before normal controls were used. |
| Voice with slight mechanical qualities | The sound was plausible but not fully natural, an indication that voice resemblance should not be treated as authentication. |
| Caller could not answer a recent shared-context question | The response failure contradicted the claimed personal relationship. |
What companies should change after incidents like this
Make independent callbacks routine
Written procedures should require employees to reinitiate contact through an approved directory or another trusted channel whenever a request changes payment instructions, seeks confidential deal information or bypasses normal approvals.
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Train for cross-channel impersonation
The reported approach combined WhatsApp messages with a voice call. Exercises should cover messaging apps, mobile numbers, email and video—not just spoofed email addresses.
Do not make voice biometrics the sole control
Voice matching can be an additional signal, but Barr’s warning means it should be paired with device, transaction, behavioral and human approval checks.
Design pressure-resistant workflows
Require a cooling-off period or second approver for unusual executive requests. A legitimate leader should be able to tolerate a documented verification step; an impersonator benefits from speed and secrecy.
The practical takeaway
The Ferrari account does not show that a clever question can reliably defeat a deepfake. It shows that the executive noticed inconsistencies, challenged the caller and avoided treating a familiar voice as sufficient proof. For any high-value or confidential request, the dependable test is to stop the interaction and initiate a fresh conversation using contact information obtained independently.
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