Diopter Research
How AI social engineering actually works, and what stops it.
Attackers are not sending suspicious clips. They are joining calls, sitting in interviews, and asking for a wire in a voice your team trusts. We publish what we find: how the attacks run, which signals catch them, and where the tools fall short.
Start here What is social engineering How these attacks work, why they succeed against strong technical defenses, and how to defend against them. Read the guide → The tactic What is a deepfake The synthetic media techniques attackers use to impersonate a real person on a live call. Read the guide → The outcome What is wire fraud How impersonation turns into a payment that leaves the building, and where the chain can be broken. Read the guide →
Social Engineering
18 articles
The human-manipulation tactics behind modern fraud: impersonation, pretexting, caller ID spoofing, and the AI tools attackers now use to make them convincing.
IMImpersonationSynthetic Identity Fraud: Detection and PreventionSynthetic identity fraud blends real and fabricated details into an identity that passes traditional checks. How it unfolds, the signals that reveal…Sep 4, 2026Read →SESocial EngineeringAI Social Engineering: How Is AI Changing the Social Engineering Attack LandscapeAI social engineering uses AI to make impersonation attacks more convincing and far harder to spot. Here's how the attacks work, why…Aug 25, 2026Read →IMImpersonationHelp Desk Scam: Types, Examples & Prevention TipsHelp desk scams turn IT support into an entry point, using impersonation to reset credentials and bypass MFA. Here's how the attack…Aug 20, 2026Read →
Deepfake Detection
The synthetic media layer: how the fakes are made, and what actually catches them.
DFDeepfake DetectionDeepfake Detection for Video Conferencing: Zoom, Teams, Meet, and WebexHow deepfake attacks run on Zoom, Teams, Meet and Webex, why single-frame checks miss them, and what continuous detection during a live…Sep 3, 2026Read →DFDeepfake DetectionDeepfake Video Detection Explained: How to Spot Them and How to Stay SafeHow deepfake video detection actually works in 2026: the seven method families, what each one catches, where each one breaks, and how…Aug 31, 2026Read →DFDeepfake DetectionHow to Evaluate Deepfake Detection Tools: A Buyer’s ChecklistVendor accuracy scores tell you little about production performance. Eleven criteria for evaluating deepfake detection tools, and what to test for each…Aug 7, 2026Read →
Latest
Newest research and analysis, updated as we publish.
WPWire & Payment FraudInvoice Fraud: Types, Examples & Detection GuideInvoice fraud uses fake invoices, vendor impersonation, and BEC to trigger wrong payments. The main types, a real case, warning signs, and…Aug 13, 2026Read →WPWire & Payment FraudVendor Fraud: Meaning, Examples & PreventionVendor fraud diverts company funds through fake invoices, impersonation, and altered bank details. The main types, two real cases, and the controls…Aug 12, 2026Read →WPWire & Payment FraudHow to Prevent BEC AttacksBEC attacks exploit trust rather than systems. Eight practical strategies to verify requests, harden email authentication, and catch AI-driven voice and video…Aug 6, 2026Read →
All articles
IMImpersonationSynthetic Identity Fraud: Detection and PreventionSynthetic identity fraud blends real and fabricated details into an identity that passes traditional checks. How it unfolds, the signals that reveal…Sep 4, 2026Read →DFDeepfake DetectionDeepfake Detection for Video Conferencing: Zoom, Teams, Meet, and WebexHow deepfake attacks run on Zoom, Teams, Meet and Webex, why single-frame checks miss them, and what continuous detection during a live…Sep 3, 2026Read →DFDeepfake DetectionDeepfake Video Detection Explained: How to Spot Them and How to Stay SafeHow deepfake video detection actually works in 2026: the seven method families, what each one catches, where each one breaks, and how…Aug 31, 2026Read →SESocial EngineeringAI Social Engineering: How Is AI Changing the Social Engineering Attack LandscapeAI social engineering uses AI to make impersonation attacks more convincing and far harder to spot. Here's how the attacks work, why…Aug 25, 2026Read →IMImpersonationHelp Desk Scam: Types, Examples & Prevention TipsHelp desk scams turn IT support into an entry point, using impersonation to reset credentials and bypass MFA. Here's how the attack…Aug 20, 2026Read →WPWire & Payment FraudInvoice Fraud: Types, Examples & Detection GuideInvoice fraud uses fake invoices, vendor impersonation, and BEC to trigger wrong payments. The main types, a real case, warning signs, and…Aug 13, 2026Read →WPWire & Payment FraudVendor Fraud: Meaning, Examples & PreventionVendor fraud diverts company funds through fake invoices, impersonation, and altered bank details. The main types, two real cases, and the controls…Aug 12, 2026Read →DFDeepfake DetectionHow to Evaluate Deepfake Detection Tools: A Buyer’s ChecklistVendor accuracy scores tell you little about production performance. Eleven criteria for evaluating deepfake detection tools, and what to test for each…Aug 7, 2026Read →WPWire & Payment FraudHow to Prevent BEC AttacksBEC attacks exploit trust rather than systems. Eight practical strategies to verify requests, harden email authentication, and catch AI-driven voice and video…Aug 6, 2026Read →DDDefense & DetectionAgentic AI Fraud: The New Attack Surface Nobody’s Talking About YetAI agents can plan, decide and act with little human input. That autonomy is also a new attack surface. How agentic AI…Aug 4, 2026Read →IMImpersonationDeepfake Job Interviews: Inside the Rise of AI-Generated Fake CandidatesAround 17% of hiring managers have interviewed a candidate using deepfake technology. How AI-generated fake candidates get through hiring, and how to…Aug 3, 2026Read →DFDeepfake DetectionBest AI Deepfake Audio Detection Tools of 2026The ten strongest AI deepfake audio detection tools of 2026, sorted by the job each one is actually built for.Jul 29, 2026Read →DDDefense & Detection6 Detection Methods That Catch AI Social Engineering AttacksThe six detection methods that catch AI social engineering across email, voice, video, and identity, the signals each one reads, and where…Jul 27, 2026Read →DFDeepfake DetectionWhat Is Deepfake Audio? 10 Detection Methods That Actually WorkA forensic breakdown of the 10 deepfake audio detection methods enterprise fraud teams need in 2026: what each one catches, where it…Jul 20, 2026Read →DDDefense & DetectionAI Fraud Detection: How It Works for Financial ServicesAI fraud detection combines machine learning and behavioral analytics to spot suspicious activity in real time, but traditional systems miss scams built…Jul 15, 2026Read →VCVoice & Call AttacksCaller ID Spoofing: How Fraudsters Impersonate BanksCaller ID spoofing lets fraudsters display legitimate bank numbers and pair them with AI-generated voices to sound convincing. Here's how bank impersonation…Jul 14, 2026Read →DDDefense & Detection8 Best AI Social Engineering Defense Tools in 2026In 2026, defending against AI-driven social engineering takes more than a secure email gateway. Here's how eight enterprise tools compare across email,…Jul 13, 2026Read →IMImpersonationExecutive Cybersecurity Protection Strategies for the Modern EnterpriseExecutives are targeted disproportionately by social engineering and deepfake attacks, yet most security stacks were built to defend systems, not people. Here…Jul 10, 2026Read →WPWire & Payment FraudReal Estate Wire Fraud: How Closing Scams WorkReal estate wire fraud targets buyers and sellers during property closings, using impersonation to redirect closing funds to fraudulent accounts. Here's how…Jul 3, 2026Read →WPWire & Payment FraudBusiness Email Compromise (BEC): Complete GuideBusiness email compromise (BEC) is one of the most financially damaging cyberattacks organizations face today. Here's how BEC scams work, real-world case…Jun 30, 2026Read →DFDeepfake DetectionTop Strategies to Enhance Enterprise Deepfake PreventionAI-powered deception has turned social engineering into an assembly line. Here's how enterprise deepfake attacks unfold, why existing security stacks miss them,…Jun 30, 2026Read →WPWire & Payment FraudWhat is Wire Fraud: How It Works & PreventionWire fraud is a type of financial fraud that uses electronic transfers to steal money by impersonating a trusted party. Here's how…Jun 25, 2026Read →DFDeepfake Detection10 Best AI Deepfake Detection Tools in 2026A look at the leading AI deepfake detection tools in 2026, how they compare across voice, video, and image detection, and what…Jun 25, 2026Read →IMImpersonationFamous Deepfake Scams: The 2024 Arup Cyber AttackHow a deepfake video call convinced an Arup employee to wire $25 million to fraudsters in 2024, and what the incident reveals…Jun 22, 2026Read →DFDeepfake DetectionDeepfake Detection MethodsA breakdown of the six major deepfake detection method families, how each one works, where it breaks down under real attack conditions,…Jun 16, 2026Read →SESocial EngineeringWhat is social engineeringSocial engineering attacks manipulate employees into bypassing security controls entirely. Here's how these attacks work, why they succeed even with strong technical…Jun 2, 2026Read →DFDeepfake DetectionWhat is a deepfakeA deepfake is AI-generated synthetic media, audio, video, or images, used to impersonate real people. Here's how the technology works and why…May 27, 2026Read →
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