Chile PDI Warns on AI-Powered Fraud

Update November 1, 2026: This note adds Facephi’s definition of account-opening fraud involving stolen, synthetic or fake identities, and Runtm’s regulatory framing of Law 21.663 for essential services and incident reporting in Chile.

Chile’s Investigative Police warned that artificial intelligence is being used to refine scams and impersonate people in video calls through deepfakes. The warning was linked to risks from online fraud, illicit access to systems and ransomware in Chile. Local outlets have also described growing use of AI in more convincing vishing calls, voice cloning and fake customer service or support channels.

What type of fraud is growing in Chile?

The method most often cited in Chilean reporting is vishing, with calls designed to trick people into handing over data or money. Mundo en Línea, citing Infobip, reported that 71% of phishing fraud detected in the country was vishing and that 6.3 million attempts were blocked between January and October 2025.

ADN Radio also described scams that mimic banks or public agencies, along with voice cloning of relatives or bosses. Added to that are fake automated support channels, built to make requests sound more credible and extract sensitive information. The common thread is the use of AI to make the deception feel more real.

What did the PDI say about deepfakes and video calls?

The PDI said artificial intelligence can enable impersonation in video calls through deepfakes. According to the warning reported by El Periodista, that capability broadens the reach of scams because they are no longer limited to text or voice, but can also replicate a person’s image in real time or in similar formats.

The police warning was not limited to one tactic. It was linked to a broader threat picture in Chile that includes internet scams, illicit system access and ransomware. The underlying message is that AI is raising the quality of deception and making it easier for attackers to pose as other people with greater credibility.

What is account-opening fraud?

Facephi described account-opening fraud as the creation of an account using a stolen, synthetic or fake identity. In that category, the company said risk methods include stolen identities, synthetic identities, fake documents and deepfakes or injection attacks.

That approach widens the problem beyond vishing and video calls. It also shows how impersonation can enter digital onboarding processes, where weak verification lets fabricated or reused data slip through to open financial products or access services.

What data did Infobip provide on these attacks?

Mundo en Línea cited Infobip data to show the scale of the problem in Chile. According to that publication, 71% of phishing fraud detected in the country was vishing, and 6.3 million attempts were blocked between January and October 2025. Those figures should be treated as attributed to the company and checked against its original report before any further editorial use.

The same coverage placed cloned voices and fake support channels among the growing threats. The common point, again, is the use of artificial intelligence to reduce friction in the scam and push the victim to respond as if they were speaking to a legitimate entity.

What is happening with cybersecurity regulation in Chile?

An analysis published by Runtm says banks, financial services and payment providers are included as essential services under Cybersecurity Law 21.663, and it outlines deadlines for reporting significant incidents. Initial notice must be filed within three hours, an update within 72 hours, or within 24 hours for vital operators when an essential service is affected, and the final report is due within 15 calendar days.

That regulatory framework appears alongside the growth of digital fraud in Chile’s financial system. The debate over AI and scams is no longer only about the deception itself, but also about how banks and other actors must respond to incidents that affect essential services.

What other case was mentioned in Chile?

A report about a fake investment video attributed to Marcelo Guital said, without official confirmation, that Chile’s central bank had warned about AI-generated videos assigning financial advice to institutional figures. That note also mentioned falsified articles, messages and emails that redirect users to external platforms.

That part of the material still requires verification before it can be presented as a settled fact. For now, it can only be said that the warning was attributed to a publication and that the official notice still needs to be located and confirmed.

What figures are attributed to digital payment fraud?

Zoom Tecnológico said digital fraud in Chile’s financial system is unfolding alongside a surge in digital payments and repeated an estimate of nearly US$98 million attributed to the Central Bank. That figure is not independently corroborated in the available material.

For that reason, the reference should remain a figure attributed to a secondary source, not a confirmed number. This update also incorporates Facephi’s framework on account-opening fraud and Runtm’s notes on essential services and reporting timelines under Law 21.663.