By Taimour Zaman, Founder, AltFunds Global AFG AG
The Day I Met My Digital Twin
A few months ago, I received a polite email from an investor asking about a “Zoom meeting I had invited him to.”
Except I hadn’t invited him.
He forwarded the email, and for a moment, I thought it was mine — same logo, same tone, even the same sign-off:
Warm regards, Taimour Zaman, Founder, AltFunds Global
The meeting link was fake. The email domain was one character off. The sender wasn’t me — it was an AI-generated impersonation.
That was the day I realized: AI wasn’t just changing the world — it was pretending to be me.
When The Globe and Mail Sounded the Alarm
Soon after, The Globe and Mail ran a story that perfectly captured what I was living:
“Sora’s uncanny AI makes it difficult to distinguish real from fake.”
The journalist, Samantha Edwards, wasn’t exaggerating. She was documenting the new reality — a world where text prompts can fabricate videos, voices, and even people.
What she didn’t know was that fraudsters were already using these same tools to create deepfake versions of me — complete with synthetic contracts, fake compliance letters, and AI-generated Zoom calls.
They weren’t hacking systems.
They were hijacking identity.
When Seeing Is No Longer Believing
For centuries, humans trusted what they could see. In 2025, that trust has collapsed.
AI tools like Sora, ChatGPT, and voice-cloning engines can now generate “proof” that feels real: documents, voices, even video statements.
The danger?
It’s not science fiction anymore — it’s scalable deception.
Fraudsters can make a fake “CEO” ask for payment, fabricate “proof of funds” letters, or issue fraudulent “partnership offers” that look indistinguishable from reality.
And because the details are so convincing — logos, language, structure — victims fall fast.
How AltFunds Global Responded
At AltFunds Global, we realized we couldn’t rely on old-world verification in a new-world crisis.
So we built new defenses:
- Verified Communication Channels: We only communicate through official AltFundsGlobal.com addresses.
- Never WhatsApp. Never Telegram.
- Human-Layer Compliance: Every onboarding and funding discussion goes through a real compliance officer — not automation.
- Digital Forensics: We trace, document, and report AI-driven impersonations to regulators and law enforcement.
- Global Cooperation: We work with Swiss, Canadian, and EU authorities to strengthen digital identity protocols and prevent cross-border AI fraud.
These aren’t just policies. They’re survival tools for trust.
What Regulators Are Quietly Preparing For
Switzerland’s FINMA, along with FATF and Europol, is studying the intersection of AI and financial crime — because synthetic identities aren’t just a threat to brands like ours. They’re a threat to the stability of capital markets.
A fake video of a CEO “announcing a funding deal” can move millions.
A fake compliance letter can open international accounts.
That’s why AFG’s guiding principle remains:
Technology can accelerate truth — but it should never manufacture it.
For Accredited Investors: How to Protect Yourself
- Verify the sender. Always check the email domain. One wrong letter can cost everything.
- Speak to a human. Never make a funding decision without a verified compliance call.
- Report fraud. If you receive suspicious communication, report it to the World Bank Fraud Hotline.
Fraud thrives in silence. Truth survives in sunlight.
The Real Battle Isn’t Against AI
AI didn’t create dishonesty — it just made it faster.
The real fight is for authenticity in a world that rewards illusion.
So yes, I’ve been impersonated. My voice, my words, my digital identity — stolen and repackaged by algorithms.
But what no machine can clone is character.
And that’s what ultimately wins — in finance, in reputation, in life.
About the Author
Taimour Zaman is the Founder of AltFunds Global AFG AG, based in Zug, Switzerland. His firm structures alternative capital solutions for accredited investors, with a focus on ethical finance, regulatory integrity, and digital trust.
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