A deepfake is audio, video or an image created or altered by AI to make someone appear to say or do something they did not. Voice cloning can mimic a person from just a short recording.
Generative AI tools learn the look and sound of a person from samples such as social media posts, interviews or voicemail greetings, then produce convincing new content. Quality has improved quickly, so many fakes are hard to spot by eye or ear.
For retailers and venues, the risk is mostly fraud and impersonation: a call that sounds like the owner asking accounts to pay an urgent invoice, a fake video message from a supplier, or fake endorsements and reviews using your brand. Defences are process-based: call back on a known number, require a second approval for payments or bank-detail changes, and agree verification phrases for urgent requests.
Pitfalls include relying on staff to "just tell" and assuming small businesses are not targets. Combine verification rules with multi-factor authentication and awareness training. If you suspect a scam, report it to Scamwatch or the Australian Cyber Security Centre and your bank.
It matters because the cost of one successful impersonation can be large, and the technology is cheap and widely available.