‘Your Boss Needs This ASAP!’ How AI Impersonation Scams Trick Employees

Scammers have always been creative, but technology – AI in particular – has given them new ways to up their impersonation game in the last couple of years.  Threat actors now actively clone voices and appropriate the likeness of people you know and trust to rush you into acting.

In the workplace, attackers use AI and social engineering to impersonate your boss, HR manager, CFO, or other authority figure.

These scams succeed not because employees are careless, but because criminals exploit trust, hierarchy, and a sense of urgency in the workplace. If your manager messages you with a short, urgent request, most people react immediately.

Scammers may use:

• A cloned voice that sounds exactly like your boss
• A spoofed email, WhatsApp, Teams, or Slack message
• A fake video call with a deepfaked face
• An AI-generated instruction that looks just like a routine work request

Their goal is to make you act fast before you have time to think.

How an AI Boss Impersonation Scam Usually Begins

1. The unexpected contact from a new number or platform: The scammer might say something like: “Hi, it’s me. I’m using a new phone. Quick question.”
2. The urgent request

“Please transfer funds now.”
“I need gift cards immediately for a vendor.”
“Download this file and review. I can’t open it here.”

3. Secrecy

“Don’t loop anyone else in; this is confidential.”

4. Pressure

“I’m in a meeting. Just get it done.”

Once you act, the scammer disappears.

Real Case: TikToker Tricked by a Fake “Boss”

A young TikToker in Singapore recently went viral after revealing how scammers used a cloned voice to impersonate her boss.

“Scammer basically called me and was like, ‘Do you know who I am?’ [sic]” she said.

“He sounded like my boss, so I didn’t even question it.”

The  so-called boss called from a new number and urgently asked her to help with a PayNow transfer, something she did regularly at work. The tone, confidence, and phrasing felt normal. She transferred nearly S$4,000 before realizing the voice wasn’t real.

“To me, it made sense … maybe he’s refunding someone, like all finance things,” she added.

It just after her “boss” asked for S$10,000 more that she felt something was off and discovered she was scammed. Her story shows how any employee, even tech-savvy young workers, can fall victim when the scam feels personal and urgent.

Why These Scams Work So Well

Scammers exploit natural work patterns:

1. Authority bias

When someone who you believe is your boss asks you to do something, your instinct is to comply.

2. Workplace urgency

“Need this now.”
“In a meeting — please handle.”
Short, direct messages are common in real workplaces.

3. AI eliminates typical “scam clues” in impersonation scams

Today’s scams have natural grammar, a realistic tone, convincing voice patterns, and professional-looking emails. This makes them highly believable.

4. Remote work makes impersonation easier

Most employees don’t know their boss’s exact voice or communication habits well enough to spot a fake.

 “They Rush You Like Your Boss”  And That’s Exactly the Point

If you’ve seen Bitdefender’s They Wear Our Faces campaign, you’ve witnessed the psychology behind these scams. Criminals intentionally copy your boss’s tone, their short instructions, and their communication style.

Because when scammers sound like your boss and push like your boss, your brain reacts before your judgment kicks in. AI impersonation scams feel very real, and even the most cautious of employees can be rushed into sending money, sharing files, or bypassing normal procedures.

Warning Signs Something Is Off

• Your “boss” contacts you from an unfamiliar number/platform
• The message is unusually urgent
• They insist on skipping normal approval steps
• The voice sounds slightly robotic or “rushed”
• They ask for money, gift cards, logins, or sensitive info
• They pressure confidentiality (“just between us”)

Urgency + secrecy + money = suspicious.

Why Employees Should Be Extra Careful During the Holiday Season

Don’t let your guard down if it’s close to Christmas. Scammers don’t take holidays. They depend on them, making the end of the year one of the riskiest periods for AI impersonation scams because workplaces are:

• Understaffed (people on vacation, fewer approvals)
• Busier than usual (year-end reports, budgeting, deadlines)
• More relaxed with procedures (“Let’s just get this done before break”)
• Relying heavily on messaging apps instead of in-person clarification
• Handling more payments and vendor activity than usual

Criminals know this, and they tailor their scams accordingly.

You might see messages like:

“I’m boarding a flight, please send this transfer before EOD.”
“Handle this today — we need it finalized before the holiday break.”
“I’m traveling and using a temporary number.”

The timing, the tone, and the convenience all mimic real-world holiday behavior — which is why so many employees let their guard down.

How Employees Can Protect Themselves

These tips are for everyday employees, and they can make a huge difference.

1. Verify through a second channel

If your boss messages from a new number, don’t trust it blindly.
Confirm through their official work email, or a Teams/Slack message that you initiated. Just a 30-second check can stop the scam before financial loss or data compromise.

2. Slow down when pressured

Scammers want you to hurry up and finish the “task” quickly. They rely on speed, and you overlooking potential red flags. Your real manager won’t get upset about verifying an unusual request.

3. Never skip approval processes

If your workplace requires second approvals for transfers, invoices, or internal documents, follow it every time.

4. Don’t share passwords, MFA codes, or internal documents

No legitimate boss will ask for your login credentials, authentication codes, HR documents through WhatsApp or banking or payroll info.

5. Protect your phone. It’s often the entry point

Many impersonation scams hit employees through personal devices, not corporate ones.

Tools that help:

• Bitdefender Scamio. You can have a chat with our AI-powered scam detector or send a screenshot or message to check if it's a scam. It’s free and easy to use.
• Bitdefender Link Checker, a free tool that helps you detects malicious or suspicious links in seconds.
• Bitdefender Mobile Security — blocks phishing attemps, phony sites and scam apps .

6. Think before you share yourself online

Criminals use podcasts, video calls, public speeches and social media clips to clone voices. Limit what you post publicly whenever possible.

7. Assume AI might be involved

If something sounds even slightly “off,” stop and verify.

If You Think You’ve Been Targeted

1. Stop responding immediately
2. Notify IT or your security team
3. Document the message/call
4. If money or data was sent, alert your bank and manager immediately