# The 70-Minute Deepfake: How Anyone Can Now Fake a Video Interview > It now takes just 70 minutes for a scammer with zero experience to build a convincing deepfake identity for a video interview. Here's how the scam works and how to catch them. URL: https://landing.qa.scrini.ai/blogs/the-70-minute-deepfake-how-anyone-can-now-fake-a-video-interview Author: Priya Sharma Published: Jun 21, 2026 (2026-06-21) Updated: Oct 3, 2026 (2026-10-03) Category: INSIGHT Tags: Deepfakes, AI, Hiring Fraud, Cybersecurity, Video Interviews ![The 70-Minute Deepfake: How Anyone Can Now Fake a Video Interview](https://scrini-assets.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/34cd010f-aabf-42a5-9c65-8dc87653acd2-1781943117089.jpg) It sounds like a plot from a sci-fi movie, but it’s happening right now in HR departments all over the world. According to a recent study by cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks, it takes just **70 minutes** for someone with zero digital manipulation experience to build a convincing deepfake identity from scratch and use it to ace a live video interview. Let’s break down how this is happening, why it’s a massive problem, and most importantly, how you can spot a digital imposter before you hire one. ## How Does the "70-Minute Deepfake" Work? A few years ago, pulling off a live deepfake required massive computing power and a team of experts. Today? All you need is a decent laptop, a steady internet connection, and access to a few cheap (or even free) AI tools. The scam usually works like this: - **The Face Swap:** Using real-time neural networks, scammers overlay a synthetic face onto their own during a live video call. The AI tracks their eyes, nose, and mouth, smoothly moving the fake face in real time. - **The Voice Clone:** Tools like ElevenLabs can recreate a completely synthetic voice. When combined with the fake face, the fraudster can look and sound like anyone they want. - **The Proxy Interview:** Often, one highly skilled "interview coach" sits behind the camera, answering the difficult technical questions while wearing the digital mask of the person who supposedly applied for the job. ## Why Are People Doing This? In short: remote work fraud. Scammers, and in some cases even state-sponsored actors like North Korean IT operatives, use these deepfake identities to secure high-paying, remote tech jobs. Once they get the job, they can siphon off a corporate salary, farm the actual work out to someone else, or worse, use their access to steal sensitive company data. ## How to Catch a Deepfake Candidate in Real Time The scariest part about this trend is that deepfakes are getting better faster than our eyes can detect them. But AI isn't perfect yet. It still struggles with the messy, unpredictable reality of the physical world. If you suspect you might be interviewing a deepfake, here are three quick tests you can run during the call: ### 1. The "Wave Your Hand" Test Face-swapping AI relies on having a clear, unobstructed view of the face. Simply ask the candidate to wave their hand in front of their nose. A real video will look completely normal. A deepfake will often glitch, blur, or create a weird "ghosting" effect where the hand overlaps the synthetic face. ### 2. The Profile Turn Most real-time deepfake models are trained on frontal views. Ask the candidate to turn their head a full 90 degrees to the left or right. You will likely see the fake face lag, warp, or temporarily reveal the real person hiding underneath. ### 3. Look for Audio-Visual Lag Watch their lips very closely. Because the software has to process the video, generate the fake face, and output the video feed in real time, there is often a tiny, fractional delay. If the candidate’s lips seem even slightly out of sync with their words, like a poorly dubbed movie, you should be highly suspicious. ## The Bottom Line The era of trusting everything we see on a screen is officially over. As remote hiring continues to be the norm, companies have to adapt. It's no longer just about figuring out if a candidate is qualified; it's about figuring out if they are real. By implementing a few simple physical tests during your interviews and updating your identity verification processes, you can stop these 70-minute deepfakes in their tracks.