The New Digital Arms Race: F-Secure Deploys AI to Fight Deepfake Scams

HELSINKI and MILAN – June 16, 2026 – In a move that signals a new front in the war on digital fraud, cybersecurity leader F-Secure has partnered with deepfake detection specialist IdentifAI to launch a real-time defense against AI-generated scams. The new capability, dubbed Deepfake Protection, is being integrated into F-Secure’s consumer security suite, arming service providers with a crucial tool to protect customers from an increasingly sophisticated and costly threat.

The announcement comes as the financial and psychological toll of AI-powered deception reaches crisis levels. The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report (IC3) revealed that Americans lost nearly $900 million to scams involving AI, a figure that experts believe represents only a fraction of the actual damage. This is compounded by F-Secure's own recent research, which found that more than 56% of consumers are targeted by scammers every month, with reported financial losses from these scams doubling in the last year alone.

The Unseen Enemy: How Generative AI Weaponized Deception

For years, consumers were trained to spot the tell-tale signs of a scam: a suspicious link, a misspelled email, or an urgent but generic request. Generative AI has rendered that advice dangerously obsolete. Today’s scams are powered by cloned voices created from just seconds of audio, synthetic videos of trusted individuals, and hyper-realistic images that are nearly impossible for the human eye to discredit. The red flags have vanished, replaced by personalized and highly convincing deception.

This technological leap has turned what was once a nuisance into a formidable threat. Global losses from deepfake-driven fraud surpassed $1.65 billion in 2025, and the volume of malicious synthetic media is exploding, with some analysts projecting an increase from 500,000 files in 2023 to 8 million by the end of last year. The problem is not just the quality of the fakes, but our inability to detect them; studies show human accuracy in identifying high-quality deepfake videos hovers at a dismal 24.5%.

"A video, a voice message, a photo — things people once trusted instinctively can now be fabricated in minutes," said Dimi Vellikok, SVP of Product Engagement at F-Secure. "The reality is that scam protection can't stop at suspicious links and messages anymore. Consumers are increasingly being targeted with manipulated content, and service providers need tools that address those threats too."

A Multi-Modal Defense Against Digital Ghosts

Entering this high-stakes environment is IdentifAI, an Italian startup that has quickly established itself as a key player in the detection space. Backed by a €5 million funding round in 2025, the company has developed a multi-modal detection engine that analyzes images, video, and voice in real time to flag AI-generated or manipulated content. This holistic approach is critical, as fraudsters often layer multiple forms of synthetic media to create a more convincing illusion, such as a deepfake video call featuring a cloned voice.

A key aspect of IdentifAI’s strategy is its deliberate independence. The company exclusively focuses on detecting AI-generated content and does not build generative models itself. This avoids the potential conflict of interest seen with vendors who operate on both sides of the AI arms race, positioning IdentifAI as a dedicated defensive force. Its singular focus allows it to remain agile, adapting its detection models as new and more advanced generative AI tools reach the market.

"Our mission is to safeguard the fundamental human right to distinguish between the artificial and the human, ensuring we all engage with the world authentically," stated Marco Ramilli, IdentifAI Founder and CEO. "In partnering with F-Secure, we have turned this vision into reality—co-creating powerful, proven solutions to counter the threat of deepfakes."

The Service Provider's New Mandate: Trust as a Service

Perhaps the most significant aspect of this partnership is not just the technology itself, but its distribution model. By integrating Deepfake Protection into its Embedded portfolio, F-Secure is leveraging its network of over 200 service provider partners—including telecommunications firms and internet service providers (ISPs)—to deliver this capability at scale. This strategy effectively democratizes access to advanced security, moving deepfake detection from a specialized enterprise tool to a standard feature for millions of consumers.

For service providers, the business case is becoming undeniable. In a market where products are increasingly commoditized, customer trust has emerged as the ultimate competitive advantage. F-Secure’s data shows that 93% of consumers value cybersecurity offerings from their providers, and a staggering 82% consider it a key factor when choosing a provider. Furthermore, with 51% of consumers willing to pay for robust scam protection, integrating solutions like Deepfake Protection is not just a defensive measure but a strategic opportunity for growth and differentiation.

By embedding this protection directly into their services, providers can help shield their customers from devastating financial losses and the psychological stress of digital deception. This shifts their role from a simple utility provider to a trusted guardian of their customers' digital lives, reinforcing loyalty in an era of eroding trust.

Navigating a Crowded Field in the Fight for Authenticity

F-Secure and IdentifAI are entering a rapidly growing market. With spending on deepfake detection technology projected to grow by 40% in 2026, the field includes established voice security firms like Pindrop and specialized detection companies like Sensity AI. However, F-Secure’s B2B2C (business-to-business-to-consumer) model provides a powerful go-to-market advantage, enabling rapid deployment across a massive, pre-existing customer base.

The collaboration aims to make real-time content verification a standard, almost invisible, part of everyday consumer protection. As AI continues to blur the lines between what is real and what is fabricated, embedding defenses directly into the digital infrastructure we use every day may be the most effective strategy for preserving authenticity and security for everyone.