# AI clone of a client's voice calls a Bank of America banker to move money; attempt fails Source: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-incidents/bank-of-america-2023-voice-clone-transfer-attempt Last updated: Oct 21, 2026 Bank of America · AI used against the institution · severity 1 of 5 The New York Times reported in August 2023 that in the spring of that year a Florida investor called his Bank of America representative about a large planned transfer, and that a second call, apparently in his voice, was actually generated by software that tried to get the banker to move the money elsewhere. According to the Times, the voice was repetitive and garbled, the banker hung up, and after two more such calls she reported the matter to Bank of America's security team. No loss was reported. Bank of America said it regularly trains staff to recognise scams but would not comment on specific customers, so the bank has not confirmed the incident; the Times called it a voice-deepfake scam attempt. ## Key facts | | | | --- | --- | | Date | 2023 (disclosed Aug 30, 2023) | | Institution | Bank of America | | Country | United States | | AI system | Software-generated clone of a client's voice used in phone calls (unattributed tool) | | AI? | Machine-learning system (inferred from the record) — The sources describe a machine-learning model; nobody on the record labelled it AI. | | Category | Voice clone (AI used against the institution) | | Status | Reported | | Severity | 1 of 5 — Contained, with no customer loss reported: the banker found the calls suspicious, hung up and reported them to the bank's security team; the only harm described was a roughly 10-day disruption in contact with the client. | ## What happened? According to The New York Times, a Florida investor called his local Bank of America representative in spring 2023 to discuss a large money transfer he was planning. A second call that appeared to come from him did not: "a software program had artificially generated his voice and tried to trick the banker into moving the money elsewhere." The Times said his voice was easy to find online from conference and fund-raiser videos, and that his phone number was likely spoofed. [1] Per the client's account of what the banker told him, the voice tried to get her to transfer money to a new location but was repetitive, talked over her and used garbled phrases, and she hung up. After two more such calls in quick succession she reported the matter to Bank of America's security team and, concerned about the account, stopped responding to calls and emails from the client, including the genuine ones; it took about 10 days to re-establish contact. [1] The Straits Times retold the case in September 2023, and the AI Incident Database indexed it as Incident 564, "Voice deepfake targets bank in failed transfer scam". Both rely on the Times's reporting; no independent investigation of the calls has been published. [2][3] ## Timeline - Aug 30, 2023 — The New York Times reports that, in spring 2023, a software-generated clone of a client's voice called his Bank of America banker and tried to redirect a planned transfer, and that the attempt failed. [1] - Sep 7, 2023 — The Straits Times retells the case; it is later indexed by the AI Incident Database as Incident 564. [2][3] ## What was the impact? - Customers: One private-banking client targeted; no loss reported - Other: Contact between the client and his banker was disrupted for about 10 days after she stopped responding to his calls and emails. [1] ## How did Bank of America respond? A Bank of America spokesman told the Times: "We regularly train our team to identify and recognize scams and help our clients avoid them," and said he could not comment on specific customers or their experiences. The bank also declined to make the banker available for an interview. [1] ## What was the outcome? The attempt failed and no money is reported to have moved. No law-enforcement or regulatory action tied to this case has been reported. [1][3] ## FAQ ### Did the voice-clone call at Bank of America lead to any money being stolen? No loss has been reported. According to The New York Times, the banker found the cloned voice repetitive and garbled, hung up, and after two more calls reported the matter to Bank of America's security team. The attempt to redirect the client's planned transfer failed. ### Did Bank of America confirm the voice deepfake attempt? Not specifically. A Bank of America spokesman told the Times the bank regularly trains staff to recognise scams and help clients avoid them, but said he could not comment on specific customers. The account of the calls comes from the client and the Times's reporting. ### Was the caller really an AI voice clone? The New York Times reported that a software program had artificially generated the client's voice and placed it in its reporting on AI voice deepfakes. No forensic analysis of the calls has been published, and the bank has not described the system, so the AI attribution rests on the press account. ## Sources 1. [Voice Deepfakes Are the Latest Threat to Your Bank Balance](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/30/business/voice-deepfakes-bank-scams.html) — The New York Times, Aug 30, 2023 (news): ""We regularly train our team to identify and recognize scams and help our clients avoid them," said William Halldin, a Bank of America spokesman. He said he could not comment on specific customers or their experiences." 2. [When your voice is being 'cloned' to dupe banks](https://www.straitstimes.com/business/invest/when-your-voice-is-being-cloned-to-dupe-banks) — The Straits Times, Sep 7, 2023 (news): "Rather, a software program had artificially generated his voice and tried to trick the banker into moving the money elsewhere." 3. [Incident 564: Voice deepfake targets bank in failed transfer scam](https://incidentdatabase.ai/cite/564/) — AI Incident Database, Aug 30, 2023 (incident index): "Voice deepfake targets bank in failed transfer scam" All AI incidents at banks: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-incidents --- Canonical page: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-incidents/bank-of-america-2023-voice-clone-transfer-attempt Part of [BankingNewsAI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/) — the register of AI incidents at banks: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-incidents. 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