Video Calls: We've Entered an Era Where Even Seeing Is Hard to Believe

Until recently, the phrase "just talk to them face to face" was the standard of trust.

As video calls took over that role, we began to trust the face on the screen quite naturally. But now, that premise is quietly being shaken.

When people hear "deepfake," many picture a meticulously edited video. Something that takes time and skill. But it's different now. Technology already exists that can swap a face, change a voice, and even render facial expressions naturally — in real time. During a video call. Live.

In Hong Kong in 2024, there was a real case where an employee wired more than 20 billion won after a deepfake video conference impersonating the CFO. Several people joined the meeting, and every one of them was fake.

When you think about Korea's business culture, the threat feels even more real.

Fast decision-making, deference to hierarchy, a culture of saving face. When a "superior" makes a request over video, it isn't easy to doubt them and double-check. Add a deepfake on top of that, and your psychological defenses grow much thinner.

I'm not saying we should suspect every video call right now. But there's one thing worth keeping in mind.

We've reached an era where seeing someone's face on a video call is no longer enough to verify their identity.

If important decisions, money-related requests, or sensitive information are handled in a video call — you need the habit of confirming once more through a separate channel. A single phone call or one line of text can be a far bigger shield than you'd think.

The era of believing something because we saw it with our own eyes is passing. Now we need verification that goes beyond just seeing.