Polygon’s Co-founder Warns of Deepfake Scam Targeting Founders via Zoom
Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal has issued a critical warning to the Web3 community after scammers attempted to impersonate him using deepfake technology in a sophisticated fraud scheme.
In a post shared on social media, Nailwal described a disturbing new scam vector that involves fake Zoom meetings where deepfakes of himself and other Polygon Ventures team members are used to trick startup founders into installing malicious software.
The scam allegedly began after hackers gained access to the Telegram account of Shreyansh Singh, head of investments at Polygon Ventures. Using that compromised account, the attackers contacted startup founders—particularly those previously in touch with Polygon—under the pretense of arranging investment discussions.
Once a call is scheduled, the victims are asked to join a fake Zoom meeting via a desktop link appearing to originate from Polygon. The call features a video feed showing deepfakes of Nailwal, Singh, and a woman impersonating another team member.
With audio disabled, the attackers claim there is a technical issue and instruct the victim to install an SDK—a malicious script that, if installed, compromises the system.
Nailwal emphasized that no one should ever install files or software at the request of another party during an unsolicited call. He further advised keeping a separate device strictly for crypto-related activities such as wallet transactions to minimize exposure to such threats.
“These attacks keep getting more and more sophisticated,” Nailwal warned. “Please be safe out there.”
The incident highlights the growing use of AI-driven deepfake technology in phishing and social engineering scams within the crypto space—especially targeting founders and early-stage projects.
Kosta Gushterov
Reporter at Coindoo
Kosta has been a part of the team since 2021 and has solidified his position with a thirst for knowledge, incredible dedication to his work and a “detective-like” mindset. He not only covers a wide range of trending topics, he also creates reviews, PR articles and educational content. His work has also been referenced by other news outlets.
