Use of deep fake technology. to harass celebrities and many other people has become a common thing in the world of the internet. However, it seems phone calls are not safe either. The iconic Italian supercar marque Ferrari almost fell victim to such a scam when an imposter attempted to impersonate the automaker's CEO Benedetto Vigna in WhatsApp messages and a phone call with another executive.

Bloomberg has reported that the WhatsApp message didn't come from Vigna's usual number, which raised the suspicion of the Ferrari executive. However, the imposter reportedly tried to explain the discrepancy once over a phone call. The report claimed that the impersonator did a spot-on imitation of Vigna's voice. While the imposter was trying to convince the unnamed Ferrari executive about his fake identity as the CEO of the OEM, there were a few inconsistencies that prompted the person to ask the imposter to verify his identity.

The report further stated that the executive asked the caller to name the title of a book which Vigna had just recommended. The caller didn’t answer and instead hung up. It is not clear what the scammers were attempting to accomplish. The report didn't reveal what was the motive of the impersonator or what the person was trying to achieve by impersonating Vigna.

The auto manufacturers falling victim to online fraud or cyberbullying is nothing new. Several automakers across the world have been victims of cyber crimes previously. In some cases, the car manufacturers were forced to temporarily halt their manufacturing plants and processes after the cyber attackers inflicted damage to the companies' systems and demanded ransom.

The latest incident involving Ferrari shows how the companies should take new measures t train their employees to spot and avoid deep-faked phone calls and text messages, just like they are trained to avoid phishing emails.

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