Scam.ai has launched Halo, a real-time deepfake detection tool that runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon NPU to flag synthetic faces during video calls without sending video or audio to the cloud.
The product addresses a growing threat: in 2024, engineering firm Arup lost $25 million after an employee was deceived by a deepfaked video of executives, and the FBI's 2025 IC3 report found deepfake-enabled wire fraud accounted for an estimated $2.9 billion in losses.
What happened
Scam.ai announced Halo, a deepfake detection model that runs directly on Qualcomm's Snapdragon NPU (on-device AI chip) to flag synthetic faces in real time during Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet calls. The tool processes video frames locally without sending any video or audio to the cloud, and is available now for Windows.
Why it matters
Video-call impersonation fraud is a growing threat to businesses—engineering firm Arup lost $25 million in 2024 after an employee was deceived by a deepfaked video of executives, and the FBI's 2025 IC3 report found business email compromise and deepfake-enabled wire fraud accounted for an estimated $2.9 billion in losses. Halo detects and flags synthetic faces the moment they appear on a call, before any decision is made, rather than after damage is done.
What to watch
Halo is currently available for Windows, with support for additional platforms planned.
Scam.ai, an AI company focused on detecting deepfakes and AI-driven fraud, announced on August 5, 2026, the launch of Halo, a real-time, on-device deepfake detection model for video meetings. Halo was developed in close collaboration with Qualcomm and runs entirely on the user's device, securing live Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet calls by flagging a synthetic face in real time before any decision is made based on what's seen or heard on the call. The product processes each video frame locally on Qualcomm's Snapdragon NPU—a dedicated on-device AI silicon—rather than sending video to a server and waiting for a response. No video or audio is ever sent to the cloud for analysis. Scam.ai's engineering worked closely with Qualcomm's teams throughout development to optimize the detection model specifically for real-time inference on Snapdragon hardware. The urgency of the solution reflects a sharp rise in video-call impersonation fraud. In 2024, engineering firm Arup lost $25 million after an employee was deceived by a deepfaked video of company executives on a conference call. According to the FBI's 2025 IC3 report, business email compromise and deepfake-enabled wire fraud accounted for an estimated $2.9 billion in losses. Simiao (Ben) Ren, co-founder and CEO of Scam.ai, explained the design philosophy: "We didn't want to build another tool that tells you about a deepfake after the damage is already done. Working with Qualcomm let us run real-time detection directly on the Snapdragon NPU, so Halo can catch a synthetic face the moment it appears on a call, without the video ever leaving the device. That's the difference between a warning and a report." Halo is available now for Windows, with support for additional platforms planned.
Deepfake-enabled fraud is emerging as a material financial risk for enterprises. The 2024 Arup case—a $25 million loss triggered by a single deceived employee—demonstrates that even large, well-resourced organizations remain vulnerable to video impersonation attacks. The FBI's 2025 IC3 report's finding of $2.9 billion in estimated losses from business email compromise and deepfake-enabled wire fraud suggests the problem is systemic and growing. Halo addresses a critical gap: most existing deepfake detection tools operate after the fact (post-call analysis, forensic review), leaving the decision-making moment unprotected. By detecting and flagging synthetic faces in real time—before any action is taken on the call—Halo shifts the detection from a forensic tool into an active defense. The technical design (on-device processing via Snapdragon NPU, zero cloud transmission) also addresses privacy and latency concerns that could otherwise slow adoption in regulated industries.
AI-summarized, only the topics you pick — one digest a day via Email, Slack, or Discord.
Free · takes 30 seconds · unsubscribe anytime
Ask AI anything about this article. Q&As are published on this page for other readers too.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg published a 6,500-word essay Monday outlining his vision for artificial intelligence…
NiceShot AI, a Python tool using YOLO and OpenCV, automatically detects, tracks, and clips key gameplay events…
ServiceNow has announced AI-powered agents designed to operate within security operations centers (SOCs), auto…
CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks jumped more than 5% to new highs on Monday following the Black Hat cyber co…
Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) and 18 other House Democrats sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson calling for open…
An article identified five Japanese cybersecurity-related stocks that the author views as having strength to r…
The AI news that matters, in one minute each morning.
Sign up free