Fideuram

Fideuram

2026-10-02 04:39:59

Italy’s Fideuram loses at least €36 million to AI voice scam converted into crypto

Italian private banking giant Fideuram was hit by an AI-enabled voice fraud in February 2026, with at least €36 million ultimately converted into cryptocurrency after a series of overseas transfers. According to Techub News, former chairman Paolo Molesini received a WhatsApp message impersonating the CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo Group and then a phone call using an AI-generated fake lawyer’s voice. He then instructed the finance department to send funds to accounts in mainland China, Hong Kong and other locations, with the initial transfers totaling about €95 million. Fideuram later recovered around €40 million, while Portuguese authorities separately froze another €13 million. Even so, investigators said at least €36 million was still moved through multiple cross-border transfers and exchanged into crypto. Authorities are now tracing the funds through international judicial assistance. The report also said Molesini is not under investigation and resigned as chairman on March 12 for 「personal reasons」.

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AI scam

2026-09-29 08:51:32

AI Voice Scam Hit Italian Private Bank for €95 Million, With More Than €36 Million Traced to Bitcoin Wallets

Former Fideuram chairman Paolo Molesini was drawn into a major fraud case in February 2026 after receiving a WhatsApp message from someone posing as Intesa Sanpaolo CEO Carlo Messina, followed by a phone call that used an AI-cloned voice of lawyer Paolo Nastasi. The scheme led to 11 transfers worth more than €95 million. Italian authorities and the bank later recovered or froze part of the money, including funds intercepted by a Chinese bank and assets frozen in Portugal. Still, a Milan judge’s order said €39.5 million remained lost, with more than €36 million ultimately ending up in two Bitcoin wallets after moving through accounts in Malta, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and a Canadian remittance platform. Italian media said prosecutors are now trying to trace the Bitcoin before it is liquidated. Open also reported that a 48-year-old Israeli man has been listed as a suspect, with investigators alleging that nearly €4 million converted into crypto ended up in his possession.

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