--- title: "Phishing Scams Don’t Always Arrive by Email | Phish Protection" description: "Phishing Scams Don’t Always Arrive by Email: When you hear the word phishing, you probably think of email. And that" image: "https://phishprotection.com/og/blog/phishing-scams-dont-always-arrive-by-email.png" canonical: "https://phishprotection.com/blog/phishing-scams-dont-always-arrive-by-email/" --- Quick Answer Phishing is generally an email that looks real, but isn't, in an effort to get you to do something you shouldn't. Now, fraudsters are using\[ deepfake\](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepfake) technology to generate \*\*audio that sounds real\*\*, but isn't, in an effort to get you to something you shouldn't. And that's exactly what scammers did to the CEO of a German energy company. Share [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-scams-dont-always-arrive-by-email%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Phishing%20Scams%20Don%26%238217%3Bt%20Always%20Arrive%20by%20Email&url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-scams-dont-always-arrive-by-email%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-scams-dont-always-arrive-by-email%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-scams-dont-always-arrive-by-email%2F&title=Phishing%20Scams%20Don%26%238217%3Bt%20Always%20Arrive%20by%20Email "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=Phishing%20Scams%20Don%26%238217%3Bt%20Always%20Arrive%20by%20Email&body=Check out this article: https%3A%2F%2Fphishprotection.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-scams-dont-always-arrive-by-email%2F "Share via Email") ![Phish Protection blog post image](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2019/09/phishing-prevention-3562.jpg) _When you hear the word phishing, you probably think of email._ And that’s exactly what the scammers want you to think so you won’t pay attention to their latest delivery mechanism: voicemail. Phishing is generally an email that looks real, but isn’t, in an effort to get you to do something you shouldn’t. Now, fraudsters are using[ deepfake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepfake) technology to generate **audio that sounds real**, but isn’t, in an effort to get you to something you shouldn’t. And that’s exactly what scammers did to the CEO of a German energy company. ![Phishing prevention](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2019/09/phishing-prevention-3562.jpg) According to an article on [HotHardware](https://hothardware.com/news/ceo-tricked-into-money-transfer), “a company CEO was tricked by scammers who faked the voice of the parent company CEO to get the executive to **transfer $243,000** to an external account. The unwitting company CEO says that he suspected nothing once he heard the German dialect and voice patterns of his assumed boss.” **Deepfake technology** is normally used to combine and superimpose existing images and videos onto source images or videos using a machine learning to create a believable fake video. In this case, _deepfake technology was used to combine and superimpose existing audio and source audio to create a believable conversation_. ![How to prevent phishing](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2019/09/how-to-prevent-phishing-8621.jpg) “It’s unclear what software was used to fake the German CEO’s voice. However, with the scam actually succeeding and with such advanced software readily available, this sort of **security threat vector** will likely become more common.” Yikes. Is there any technology available today to combat this sort of scam? Not yet. The only defense today is a heightened suspicion whenever any business communication requests money. _Only now, instead of only being suspicious of emails requesting money, you also have to be suspicious of phone calls and voicemails requesting money_. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. In the meantime, to help combat “ordinary” **phishing attacks**, check out [Phish Protection](/) with real-time **link click protection** and [Advanced Threat Defense](/products/advanced-threat-defense/). Try it free for 30 days. ## Topics [ Phishing Awareness ](/tags/phishing-awareness/) ![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/authors/brad-slavin.jpg) [ Brad Slavin ](/authors/brad-slavin/) General Manager Founder and General Manager of DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across DuoCircle's 2,000+ customer base. [LinkedIn Profile →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradslavin) ## Protect your inbox from phishing attacks Real-time email security with 60-day free trial. No credit card required. [Start Free Trial](https://portal.duocircle.com/cart.php?a=add&pid=101&brand=phishprotection) [View Pricing](/pricing/) ## Related Articles [ Foundational 5m 0ktapus, Okta Breach Helps Attackers Launch Sophisticated Supply Chain Attacks Sep 5, 2022 ](/blog/0ktapus-okta-breach-helps-attackers-launch-sophisticated-supply-chain-attacks/)[ Foundational 14m 12 Real-World Spear Phishing Examples And The Red Flags You Missed Feb 4, 2026 ](/blog/12-real-world-spear-phishing-examples-and-the-red-flags-you-missed/)[ Foundational 2m 8 million Android users fell prey to SpyLoan malware on Google Play Store Dec 5, 2024 ](/blog/8-million-android-users-fell-prey-to-spyloan-malware-on-google-play-store/)[ Foundational 1m A Big Part of the Phishing Problem is You Sep 17, 2019 ](/blog/a-big-part-of-the-phishing-problem-is-you/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"Phish Protection","url":"https://phishprotection.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://phishprotection.com/images/phishprotection-logo.png"},"description":"Advanced phishing protection and email security for businesses. 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