{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-11-14T10:48:18.014Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"elderly","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"","response":"regulatory","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":6,"coverage":{"cases":6,"countries":5,"languages":5,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":3,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":6,"minors":0,"coreRelations":6,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2025-brazil-police-say-fake-online-donation-campaigns-used-ai-deepfake-videos-of-a-singer-and-two-priests","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Segundo a Polícia Civil, o grupo criava e divulgava páginas falsas de arrecadação de doações' ... 'Para ampliar o alcance das campanhas e atrair mais pessoas, os investigados recorriam a ferramentas de inteligência artificial, incluindo as chamadas' ... 'para criar vídeos falsos com imagens de personalidades públicas, como Gusttavo Lima e os padres Marcelo Rossi e Fábio de Melo.' ... 'As publicações circulavam nas redes sociais e direcionavam os usuários a páginas que simulavam campanhas beneficentes legítimas. Os valores arrecadados, porém, eram transferidos para contas bancárias controladas pelo grupo.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Para dar credibilidade às campanhas, os suspeitos também recorriam a ferramentas de inteligência artificial, incluindo a tecnologia deepfake, para produzir vídeos falsos com imagens de personalidades como o cantor Gusttavo Lima e os padres Marcelo Rossi e Fábio de Melo.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the police, the group created and spread fake donation pages and, to attract donors, used artificial intelligence tools including deepfakes to make fake videos with the images of the singer Gusttavo Lima and the priests Marcelo Rossi and Fábio de Melo; the posts circulated on social media and led users to pages imitating legitimate charity appeals, and the money went to accounts the group controlled.","causal_attribution":"Police account relayed by the outlets; all sources relay one police release, and the technical basis for the AI attribution is not disclosed."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Os investigados usavam inteligência artificial para criar vídeos de falsos idosos, crianças e pessoas com doenças graves para sensibilizar e induzir as vítimas a fazerem doações.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"g1 reports that the suspects also used artificial intelligence to make videos of fake elderly people, children and seriously ill people to move victims to donate.","causal_attribution":"g1's account of the police investigation; the other reports describe these as images used on the pages without saying they were AI-made."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Entre 13 de outubro e 26 de novembro de 2025, a companhia recebeu 215.575 transações, que somaram R$ 9.839.087,73. A maioria dos pagamentos envolvia quantias relativamente baixas, especialmente R$ 30 e R$ 50.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'O padrão aplicado pelo grupo sugere um número expressivo de vítimas em diferentes regiões do país, ainda que a soma de transações não corresponda necessariamente ao número de pessoas afetadas.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A PCDF ressalva que não dá para ligar esse total a um número exato de vítimas.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Police say one company linked to the group received 215,575 transactions totalling R$9,839,087.73 between 13 October and 26 November 2025, mostly of R$30 and R$50, and that the number of transactions does not necessarily match the number of victims.","causal_attribution":"Police financial findings relayed by the outlets."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A ação cumpre seis mandados de prisão preventiva, além de mandados de busca e apreensão no Distrito Federal e nos estados de Goiás, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina e São Paulo. A Justiça também determinou o bloqueio de ativos financeiros e patrimoniais. Até o momento, cinco investigados foram presos.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Os agentes prenderam seis pessoas: duas em Planaltina, no Distrito Federal; uma em Planaltina de Goiás, uma em Uberlândia, Minas Gerais; e uma em Joinville, em Santa Catarina.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On 28 October 2026 the Federal District Civil Police launched an operation with six preventive arrest warrants, search warrants in the Federal District and four states, and asset freezes; five suspects had been arrested by the time of the CNN Brasil report, while g1 reported six arrests.","causal_attribution":"Procedural facts reported from the police; the arrest count differs between reports."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A análise de contas eletrônicas também revelou mais de 230 GB de arquivos, incluindo vídeos, imagens, roteiros, códigos de programação, bancos de dados e materiais destinados à produção de novas campanhas fraudulentas.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Investigators found more than 230 GB of files in the group's accounts, including videos, images, scripts, programming code, databases and material for new fraudulent campaigns.","causal_attribution":"Police finding relayed by CNN Brasil."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Os investigados poderão responder por estelionato eletrônico, organização criminosa e lavagem de dinheiro, entre outros crimes que venham a ser identificados no decorrer da apuração.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'A PCDF não divulgou os nomes dos presos, e a defesa não foi localizada. A polícia descreve o cantor e os padres como imagens usadas nos vídeos falsos, não como participantes.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Police say the suspects may answer for electronic fraud, criminal organisation and money laundering; the police did not release the names of those arrested and describe the singer and the priests as images used in the fake videos, not as participants.","causal_attribution":"Police statements relayed by the outlets."}],"effects":[{"label":"people moved by fake charity appeals using AI-made videos of public figures sent donations to the group","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/nacional/centro-oeste/df/policia-prende-grupo-que-usava-deepfake-de-gusttavo-lima-em-golpe-de-doacao/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-29 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. CNN Brasil report, read in full; it relays the PCDF operation release.","independence_group":"pcdf-operacao-caritas-release"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/brasilia/pcdf-prende-suspeitos-de-arrecadar-quase-r-10-milhoes-com-falsas-campanhas-de-doacao/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-29 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. Jornal de Brasília report, read in full; it relays the same PCDF release (photo credited PCDF).","independence_group":"pcdf-operacao-caritas-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://g1.globo.com/df/distrito-federal/noticia/2026/10/28/grupo-suspeito-ia-falsas-campanhas-beneficentes.ghtml","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-29 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. g1 DF report, read in full; it relays the police account and a police video; it gives six arrests where the other reports give five.","independence_group":"pcdf-operacao-caritas-release"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://soubrasilia.com/golpe-vaquinha-falsa-pix-deepfake-pcdf-operacao-caritas-como-evitar/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"pt","translation_note":"Read in Portuguese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-29 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. SouBrasília explainer, read in full; it relays the PCDF release and states the police caveat on victim numbers.","independence_group":"pcdf-operacao-caritas-release"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Which AI tools were used and how the police established that the videos were AI-made.","How many people donated, and how many did so because of the AI-made videos of public figures rather than the other material on the pages.","Whether the singer or the priests depicted have responded to the use of their images.","The full period of the campaigns beyond the 13 October to 26 November 2025 window traced for one company, and what charges will follow."],"geography":{"basis":"The police operation ran in the Federal District, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina and São Paulo, and the police say the victims were in different regions of the country; the warrants were issued by a Brazilian court.","court_countries":["BR"],"event_countries":["BR"],"affected_person_countries":["BR"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the investigating Federal District Civil Police say the group used AI tools, including deepfakes, to make fake videos with the images of a singer and two priests to draw donors to fake charity pages, and that the group took in about R$9.8 million through one company in late 2025. The police's technical basis is not disclosed. All four sources relay one police release, so every claim is reported. No private person is named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"According to the Federal District Civil Police, whose release CNN Brasil, Jornal de Brasília, g1 DF and SouBrasília relay, the investigation found that the group used artificial intelligence tools, including deepfakes, to make fake videos with the images of a singer and two priests, and that these videos were used to attract donors to fake charity pages. This is an attribution of this scheme by the investigating police, which also report seizing more than 230 GB of the group's videos, images, scripts and code; how the police established that the videos were AI-made is not disclosed. People deceived by the generated videos of public figures were impersonated toward them (depicted_or_impersonated).","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Brasília police say a group used AI deepfake videos of singer Gusttavo Lima and two priests in fake donation drives that took in nearly R$10 million","summary":"The Federal District Civil Police (PCDF) in Brazil say a criminal group ran fake online donation campaigns that used images of elderly people, children and seriously ill people, and used artificial intelligence tools, including deepfakes, to make fake videos with the images of the singer Gusttavo Lima and the Catholic priests Marcelo Rossi and Fábio de Melo. The posts circulated on social media and sent people to pages imitating legitimate charity appeals; the money went to bank accounts the group controlled. Police say one company linked to the group received 215,575 transactions totalling about R$9.8 million between 13 October and 26 November 2025, mostly of R$30 and R$50, and that the number of transactions does not necessarily match the number of victims. On 28 October 2026 the PCDF launched Operação Cáritas with six preventive arrest warrants and search warrants in the Federal District and four states; five suspects had been arrested by the time of most reports (g1 reported six). How the police established that the videos were AI-made is not disclosed, and no response from the people depicted is reported.","incidentDate":"2025-10-13","incidentEndDate":"2025-11-26","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-10-28","aiSystem":"Artificial intelligence tools, not named, including deepfake technology, that the Federal District Civil Police say the group used to make fake videos with the images of a singer and two priests for fake donation campaigns","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Police say people who saw fake charity appeals promoted with AI-made videos of a singer and two priests sent donations to accounts the group controlled; one linked company received about R$9.8 million in 215,575 transactions in October and November 2025.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"Unquantified. The police describe victims who were induced to transfer money and say the transaction pattern suggests many victims, but they state that the 215,575 transactions do not necessarily correspond to the number of people affected, and no count of people is given. The 66 police reports in the Federal District concern companies receiving money from various electronic frauds and are not counted. The singer and priests depicted are not counted because no response or consequence is reported for them.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"BR","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/nacional/centro-oeste/df/policia-prende-grupo-que-usava-deepfake-de-gusttavo-lima-em-golpe-de-doacao/","primarySourceLabel":"CNN Brasil, 28 Oct 2026: police arrest group that used Gusttavo Lima deepfake in donation scam (Portuguese)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-29T03:08:23.542533+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-29T03:08:23.542533+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","donation-scam","fraud","police-investigation","public-figures","brazil","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2025-pont-a-mousson-ai-generated-macron-arnault-investment-ad-pensioner-savings-loss","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'initiés à partir de publications sur les réseaux sociaux utilisant des avatars de personnalités publiques générés par IA, comme Macron ou Arnault'; 'Des avatars de ces personnalités, générés par intelligence artificielle (IA), fleurissent sur les réseaux sociaux, et proposent des placements financiers juteux mais faux'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'L’affaire remonte à l’été 2025. Une publicité sur Internet promet des placements avantageux, mettant en scène le président de la République Emmanuel Macron et le milliardaire Bernard Arnault'; 'la publicité était en réalité un « deepfake », c’est-à-dire une fausse vidéo générée à l’aide de l’intelligence artificielle utilisant l’avatar de personnes existantes'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'la femme s’est fait duper par une publicité réalisée à l’aide de l’intelligence artificielle dans laquelle Emmanuel Macron et Bernard Arnault conseillent de réaliser des placements avantageux'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"A retired woman in her eighties living in Pont-à-Mousson saw an online advertisement in which likenesses of Emmanuel Macron and Bernard Arnault, described as AI-generated avatars by the regional press reporting the Pont-à-Mousson police station's warning, promoted a lucrative investment platform; Le Parisien places this in summer 2025.","causal_attribution":"Account of the Pont-à-Mousson police station as relayed by L'Est Républicain and, via ICI and L'Est Républicain, by Le Parisien and Capital; one reporting chain. The AI description is the outlets' own wording in reporting that warning; no quoted police statement mentions AI."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Après avoir donné son nom et son numéro, un faux conseiller bancaire la contacte. Il lui explique alors ce qu’elle peut gagner. L’escroc demande qu’elle installe un logiciel sur son ordinateur.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'L’homme, très convaincant, lui propose de placer 5 000 euros pour commencer. Plusieurs semaines après, la promesse est tenue et l’octogénaire reçoit plusieurs centaines d’euros « d’intérêts »'; 'La retraitée accepte et verse à nouveau 5 000 euros'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"She gave her name and telephone number through the advertisement's form, was contacted by a fake financial adviser, was asked to install software on her computer, invested 5,000 euros, received several hundred euros presented as interest, and reinvested repeatedly.","causal_attribution":"Police-station account via the same reporting chain."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'une habitante de Pont-à-Mousson s’est fait escroquer 10 000 € après des placements frauduleux'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'10 000 euros. C’est la somme qu’a perdue une retraitée, résidant à Pont-à-Mousson en Meurthe-et-Moselle, après avoir subi une escroquerie pendant l’été 2025'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'Les escrocs lui ont ainsi dérobé 10 000 euros, en deux retraits successifs de 5 000 euros chacun'","relation":"context","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"She lost at least 10,000 euros: L'Est Républicain and Capital report 10,000 euros, and Marie France (citing CNews) reports 10,000 euros taken in two withdrawals of 5,000 euros.","causal_attribution":"Police-station account via one reporting chain; the amount is not independently established."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Une retraitée a été arnaquée de 25 000 euros, à Pont-à-Mousson (Meurthe-et-Moselle)'; 'Entre juin et juillet 2025, l’octogénaire réitère l’opération plusieurs fois et finit par placer toutes ses économies, soit 25 000 euros'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'s’est fait escroquer 10 000 € après des placements frauduleux'","relation":"contradicts","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'elle décide alors d’investir toutes ses économies'","relation":"context","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Le Parisien, citing ICI and L'Est Républicain, reports a total loss of 25,000 euros, all her savings, placed in several instalments between June and July 2025.","causal_attribution":"Le Parisien's figure differs from the 10,000 euros of L'Est Républicain, Capital and Marie France; which figure the police gave, or whether the larger one includes later instalments, is not established."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'l’annonce publicitaire, ainsi que le site frauduleux, ont disparu'; 'Une enquête a été ouverte pour tenter d’identifier le ou les auteurs de cette arnaque'; '« Pour ce genre d’arnaque, nous enregistrons entre trois et cinq plaintes par semaine »'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Le commissariat de Pont-à-Mousson alerte : les escroqueries aux faux conseillers bancaires se multiplient'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The advertisement and the fraudulent site then disappeared; an investigation was opened, and the Pont-à-Mousson police station publicly warned that it records three to five complaints a week for this kind of fraud.","causal_attribution":"Statements of the Pont-à-Mousson police station to the regional press."}],"effects":[{"label":"lost her savings to a fraudulent investment platform promoted by an advertisement using AI-generated likenesses of Macron and Arnault","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.estrepublicain.fr/faits-divers-justice/2026/06/07/escroquee-par-un-faux-macron-genere-par-ia-elle-perd-10-000-dans-des-placements-frauduleux","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"fr","translation_note":"Read in French and translated by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-07 (HTTP 200); no human translator or reviewer read the article. L'Est Républicain (Groupe EBRA) regional report of 7 June 2026 based on the Pont-à-Mousson police station's warning.","independence_group":"est-republicain-ici-pont-a-mousson-police"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/une-retraitee-perd-25-000-euros-apres-avoir-ete-piegee-par-une-fausse-publicite-demmanuel-macron-generee-par-ia-15-06-2026-EXVJWQKNJ5DTTKETUIJO4AABPQ.php","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"fr","translation_note":"Read in French and translated by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-07 (HTTP 200); no human translator or reviewer read the article. Le Parisien, 15 June 2026, explicitly based on ICI (France Bleu) and L'Est Républicain; same reporting chain as s1.","independence_group":"est-republicain-ici-pont-a-mousson-police"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/une-retraitee-perd-10-000-euros-a-cause-d-une-fausse-publicite-generee-par-ia-comment-eviter-ce-piege-1527640","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"fr","translation_note":"Read in French and translated by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-07 (HTTP 200); no human translator or reviewer read the article. Capital, 15 June 2026, explicitly based on L'Est Républicain and ICI; same reporting chain as s1.","independence_group":"est-republicain-ici-pont-a-mousson-police"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.mariefrance.fr/news-people/apres-brad-pitt-faux-emmanuel-macron-vole-milliers-euros-internaute-tombee-panneau-1277321.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"fr","translation_note":"Read in French and translated by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-07 (HTTP 200); no human translator or reviewer read the article. Marie France, 10 June 2026, relaying a CNews article; the CNews item was not located. Same police-station account; kept as context for the relay and its differing description of the withdrawals.","independence_group":"est-republicain-ici-pont-a-mousson-police"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool produced the advertisement, whether it was a video or still images, and where it was served (the outlets say 'social networks' and 'Internet').","The total loss: 10,000 euros (L'Est Républicain, Capital, Marie France) or 25,000 euros (Le Parisien); whether the woman recovered any money.","Exact dates: Le Parisien places the payments between June and July 2025, while L'Est Républicain of 7 June 2026 says she was defrauded 'this week', which may refer to the complaint; recorded as June 2025 at month precision.","Whether anyone has been identified or charged; the state of the investigation after June 2026.","The CNews article relayed by Marie France was not located; the ICI (France Bleu) report cited by Le Parisien and Capital was not read."],"geography":{"basis":"The woman lives in Pont-à-Mousson (Meurthe-et-Moselle) and the complaint was handled by the Pont-à-Mousson police station, which described the case; the advertisement was seen online from there. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["FR"],"affected_person_countries":["FR"]},"publication":{"basis":"Single reporting chain (Pont-à-Mousson police station via L'Est Républicain, ICI, Le Parisien, Capital, CNews/Marie France) describing a concrete loss by one identifiable but unnamed pensioner after an advertisement that the regional press, reporting the police station's warning, describe as AI-generated likenesses of two public figures; the AI impersonation is the reported entry point to the fraud. Published as a reported account with the amount discrepancy preserved.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-07"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"L'Est Républicain, reporting the Pont-à-Mousson police station's warning, says the fraud was initiated from social-media publications using avatars of public figures generated by artificial intelligence, such as Macron or Arnault; Le Parisien, citing ICI and L'Est Républicain, describes the advertisement as a deepfake, a fake video generated with AI using the avatars of real people, showing Macron and Arnault praising an investment platform. The generated likenesses impersonated those two men toward the woman (depicted_or_impersonated) and are what led her to fill in the form through which the fraudsters obtained her contact details and money. No outlet examined the advertisement, no tool is named, and no forensic finding is reported.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Pont-à-Mousson pensioner lost her savings to a fraudulent investment platform promoted by an ad reported as AI-generated likenesses of Macron and Arnault","summary":"A retired woman in her eighties living in Pont-à-Mousson (Meurthe-et-Moselle, France) responded, in summer 2025 according to Le Parisien and Capital, to an online advertisement in which AI-generated likenesses of Emmanuel Macron and Bernard Arnault promoted a lucrative investment platform. A supposed financial adviser then called her, she invested 5,000 euros, received several hundred euros of 'interest', and reinvested repeatedly until the advertisement and the site disappeared. L'Est Républicain (7 June 2026) and Capital put the loss at 10,000 euros; Le Parisien, citing ICI and L'Est Républicain, reports 25,000 euros, all her savings. The Pont-à-Mousson police station says an investigation was opened and that it receives three to five complaints a week for this kind of fraud. The account rests on the police station's warning as reported by the regional press, which describes the advertisement as AI-generated; the advertisement itself was not examined by the outlets and the quoted police statements do not mention AI.","incidentDate":"2025-06-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-06-07","aiSystem":"An online advertisement in which likenesses of Emmanuel Macron and Bernard Arnault, described by the regional press, reporting the Pont-à-Mousson police station's warning, as avatars generated with artificial intelligence (a 'deepfake' video, per Le Parisien), promoted a fraudulent investment platform; tool not identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A pensioner in Pont-à-Mousson lost at least 10,000 euros (25,000 euros, all her savings, per Le Parisien) to a fraudulent investment platform promoted by an advertisement that the regional press, reporting the police, describe as AI-generated likenesses of Emmanuel Macron and Bernard Arnault.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the pensioner described by the Pont-à-Mousson police station (L'Est Républicain, Le Parisien, Capital). The second complainant in L'Est Républicain lost money to a different fake-adviser fraud without any AI element and is not counted. The 'three to five complaints a week' figure is a general police statement about the fraud type and is not counted. Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"elderly","jurisdiction":"FR","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.estrepublicain.fr/faits-divers-justice/2026/06/07/escroquee-par-un-faux-macron-genere-par-ia-elle-perd-10-000-dans-des-placements-frauduleux","primarySourceLabel":"L'Est Républicain, 7 June 2026: Escroquée par un faux Emmanuel Macron généré par IA, elle perd 10 000 € dans des placements frauduleux","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-07T03:30:06.294009+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-11T07:44:15.692384+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","fake-celebrity-advertisement","investment-fraud","fraud","elderly","france","pont-a-mousson","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-italy-fano-pensioner-fake-police-video-call-ai-made-emblem-jewellery-theft","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'La chiamata si è spostata sul telefono con tanto di video. Il malvivente aveva sullo schermo lo stemma della polizia, tutto creato ad arte con l’intelligenza artificiale.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'un interlocutore che si spacciava per ispettore di polizia.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'La videochiamata con lo stemma della polizia di Stato a fare da sfondo e rendere tutto più credibile.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The caller, posing as a police inspector, moved the 66-year-old to a video call on which the Polizia di Stato emblem shown on screen had been created with artificial intelligence.","causal_attribution":"The paper's description; it does not attribute the AI element to the Carabinieri or the victim."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Il 66enne davanti alla telecamera dello smartphone, ha mostrato uno per uno i monili d'oro e i preziosi custoditi in casa.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Pochi minuti dopo, alla porta dell'abitazione si è presentato un complice che ha preso tutti i monili. Il bottino è da quantificare ma si parla di qualche migliaia di euro.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"After he showed his jewellery on the video call, an accomplice came to his door and took all of it, reportedly worth a few thousand euros.","causal_attribution":"The video call was the means by which the fake inspector persuaded him to show his valuables; the amount is not yet quantified."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Il pensionato si è accorto poco dopo della truffa e ha allertato i carabinieri che stanno indagando'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"He realised the scam shortly afterwards and alerted the Carabinieri, who are investigating.","causal_attribution":"Investigation status as reported by the paper."}],"effects":[{"label":"all his gold jewellery taken after a fake police inspector's video call showing a reportedly AI-made police emblem","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.corriereadriatico.it/pesaro/nuova_truffa_videochiamata_falsi_poliziotti_videochiamata_stamma_polizia-9795813.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live in Italian on 2026-10-01 (Corriere Adriatico, published 1 October 2026 03:10 CEST). No quoted police statement. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"corriere-adriatico-fano-66"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["The date of the incident.","How the paper established that the emblem was AI-made, and whether anything else in the video was AI-generated.","The exact value taken.","Whether the same group carried out the earlier Fano and Fossombrone incidents."],"geography":{"basis":"Corriere Adriatico describes the victim as a 66-year-old from Fano ('66enne fanese') living in Poderino, and the collection took place at his home; Fano is in Italy. The callers' location is unknown.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IT"],"affected_person_countries":["IT"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter: a pensioner lost his jewellery after a fake police inspector spoke with him through a video call showing a police emblem that a local paper says was made with AI. One local news report; the victim is a private individual and is not named. The AI element rests on the paper's description.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-01"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Corriere Adriatico states that the police emblem on the caller's screen was 'tutto creato ad arte con l'intelligenza artificiale'. It does not say who identified the AI element, and no recording, forensic detail or tool is reported. No AI alteration of the caller's face or voice is reported. The AI-made emblem was part of the video call through which the fake inspector spoke with the victim (communicated_with); the victim was not depicted.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Italy: a 66-year-old pensioner in Fano shows his jewellery on a video call from a fake police inspector whose on-screen Polizia di Stato emblem a local paper says was made with AI, and an accomplice takes all of it","summary":"Corriere Adriatico reported on 1 October 2026 that a 66-year-old pensioner in Fano answered his landline to a caller posing as a police inspector, who said his car was involved in a jewellery-shop robbery and that he had to check his jewellery at home to avoid legal trouble. The call moved to a video call in which the caller had the Polizia di Stato emblem on screen, which the paper says was created with artificial intelligence. The man showed his gold jewellery piece by piece; while he was kept on the phone, an accomplice came to the door and took all of it, reportedly worth a few thousand euros. He realised it was a scam shortly afterwards and alerted the Carabinieri, who are investigating.","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-10-01","aiSystem":"The Polizia di Stato emblem shown on the caller's screen during the video call, 'tutto creato ad arte con l'intelligenza artificiale' (Corriere Adriatico); the tool is not identified and no AI alteration of the caller's face or voice is reported","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["property_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A 66-year-old pensioner lost all his gold jewellery, reportedly worth a few thousand euros, after a fake police inspector on a video call with a reportedly AI-made police emblem persuaded him to show it and an accomplice collected it (Corriere Adriatico).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, a 66-year-old pensioner in Fano (Corriere Adriatico). Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"elderly","jurisdiction":"IT","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.corriereadriatico.it/pesaro/nuova_truffa_videochiamata_falsi_poliziotti_videochiamata_stamma_polizia-9795813.html","primarySourceLabel":"Corriere Adriatico, 1 October 2026: Fano, nuova truffa con la videochiamata: falsi poliziotti raggirano un 66enne","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-01T03:18:15.68917+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-01T03:18:15.68917+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["video-call-scam","fake-police-scam","ai-generated-imagery","elderly","jewellery-theft","italy","italian-language"]},{"id":"2026-italy-fano-fossombrone-ai-modified-video-call-fake-carabiniere-gold-theft","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Videochiamata modificata con l’intelligenza artificiale, la truffa diventa super tecnologica: è quanto successo in due distinte occasioni a Fano e Fossombrone. I malviventi hanno mostrato sullo schermo del telefono un volto e sullo sfondo uno stemma dell’Arma dei carabinieri.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"On two separate occasions in Fano and Fossombrone, fraudsters used a video call modified with artificial intelligence that showed a face and the Carabinieri emblem on the phone screen.","causal_attribution":"The outlet's description; it does not attribute the AI element to the Carabinieri or the victims."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Sullo schermo del telefono cellulare, l’anziano ha visto l’interlocutore stagliarsi davanti a uno stemma ufficiale dell’Arma dei Carabinieri. Tutto sembrava credibile e la vittima ha iniziato ad agitarsi per l’ipotetico coinvolgimento giudiziario. Così ha mostrato uno per uno i monili d’oro e i preziosi custoditi in casa.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Pochi minuti dopo, alla porta dell’abitazione si è presentato un complice che ha prelevato i monili d’oro e anche del denaro contante. Il bottino è da quantificare ma si parla di qualche migliaia di euro.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In Fano, after the 70-year-old showed his jewellery on the video call, an accomplice came to his door and took gold jewellery and cash, reportedly a few thousand euros.","causal_attribution":"The video call was the means by which the fake officer persuaded him to show his valuables; the amount is not yet quantified."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Stesse identiche modalità anche nei confronti di un 80enne di Fossombrone. Anche qui il finto video con lo stemma dell’Arma fino alla razzia di gioielli per qualche migliaio di euro. Ma per i truffatori era troppo poco così hanno intimato all’anziano di autorizzare due distinti bonifici bancari online per un valore complessivo di 15.000 euro, come cauzione. Per fortuna non li ha effettuati.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In Fossombrone, an 80-year-old was targeted the same way, lost jewellery worth a few thousand euros, and did not make the two bank transfers totalling 15,000 euros the fraudsters then demanded as bail.","causal_attribution":"Reported as the same method; the amount is approximate."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Scoperte le truffe, le vittime hanno dato l’allarme ai carabinieri, quelli veri che stanno cercando di risalire ai responsabili.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The victims alerted the Carabinieri, who are trying to trace those responsible.","causal_attribution":"Investigation status as reported by the outlet."}],"effects":[{"label":"gold jewellery and cash taken from two elderly men after a fake officer's reportedly AI-modified video call","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.centropagina.it/pesaro/cronaca-fano-intelligenza-artificiale-videochiamata-finto-carabiniere-truffa/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"it","translation_note":"Read live in Italian on 2026-10-01 (CentroPagina, 28 September 2026). Byline Luigi Benelli; no attributed police statement. Researcher translation.","independence_group":"centropagina-fano"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["The dates of the two incidents.","What exactly was AI-generated (the officer's face, the emblem or both) and how the outlet established it.","The exact amounts taken.","Whether the same group carried out both incidents."],"geography":{"basis":"CentroPagina places the incidents in Fano and Fossombrone and describes the victims as a 70-year-old from Fano ('70enne fanese') and an 80-year-old from Fossombrone; both towns are in Italy. The callers' location is unknown.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IT"],"affected_person_countries":["IT"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter: two elderly men lost jewellery and cash after a fake Carabinieri officer spoke with them through a video call that a local outlet says was modified with AI. One local news report; the victims are private individuals and are not named. The AI element rests on the outlet's description.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-01"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"CentroPagina states that the video call was modified with artificial intelligence and that a fake Carabinieri officer appeared with AI in front of the emblem. It does not say who identified the AI element, and no recording, forensic detail or tool is reported. The modified video was the channel through which the fake officer spoke with both men (communicated_with); the AI did not depict the victims.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Italy: two elderly men in Fano and Fossombrone show their gold on video calls from a fake Carabinieri officer, in calls a local outlet says were modified with AI, and an accomplice collects their valuables, reportedly worth a few thousand euros, from each home","summary":"CentroPagina reported on 28 September 2026 that on two separate occasions in Fano and Fossombrone (Marche), fraudsters used a video call modified with artificial intelligence, showing a face and the Carabinieri emblem on screen. A 70-year-old man in Fano was told by a caller posing as a Carabinieri officer that his car was involved in a jewellery-shop robbery and that he had to show his gold to clear himself. On the video call he showed his jewellery one piece at a time; while he was kept on the phone, an accomplice came to the door and took gold jewellery and cash, reportedly a few thousand euros. An 80-year-old man in Fossombrone was targeted the same way and lost jewellery worth a few thousand euros; he did not make the two online transfers totalling 15,000 euros that the fraudsters then demanded as bail. The victims alerted the Carabinieri, who are seeking those responsible.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-09-28","aiSystem":"A video call 'modificata con l'intelligenza artificiale' (CentroPagina) showing a fake Carabinieri officer's face in front of the Carabinieri emblem; the tool, and whether the face or only the setting was generated, are not identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["property_loss","financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Two elderly men lost gold jewellery (and, in Fano, cash), reportedly a few thousand euros each, after a fake officer on a reportedly AI-modified video call persuaded them to show their valuables and an accomplice collected them (CentroPagina).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Two people: a 70-year-old in Fano and an 80-year-old in Fossombrone (CentroPagina). Exact 2.","victimAgeRange":"elderly","jurisdiction":"IT","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.centropagina.it/pesaro/cronaca-fano-intelligenza-artificiale-videochiamata-finto-carabiniere-truffa/","primarySourceLabel":"CentroPagina, 28 September 2026: Fano, l'intelligenza artificiale per la videochiamata col finto carabiniere: truffa a segno","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-01T03:12:31.418547+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-01T03:12:31.418547+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","video-call-scam","fake-police-scam","elderly","jewellery-theft","italy","italian-language"]},{"id":"2025-gwinnett-couple-crypto-scam-ai-generated-ghost-site-800k","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A retired Georgia couple is warning others after losing their entire life savings—nearly $800,000—in an elaborate cryptocurrency scam that began with a message on WhatsApp.'; 'attempted to withdraw more money—and couldn’t. He called 911.'; 'They are working with Gwinnett County police'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'said they lost $802,000 in a cryptocurrency scam this year.'; 'inside his northeast Gwinnett County home last week.'; 'He had just tried to withdraw money from his cryptocurrency account, but couldn’t.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A couple in Gwinnett County, Georgia, lost about $800,000 (the AJC says $802,000) in a cryptocurrency scam; the husband found out when he tried to withdraw money and could not.","causal_attribution":"The couple's own account, given in separate interviews to FOX 5 and the AJC; both outlets say police are investigating, and no inspected passage from police or another origin states the amount or the failed withdrawal."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Gwinnett County police explained that while the app he was using was real, the scammers had created an AI-generated \"ghost site\" that manipulated what he saw on the screen.'; 'He was able to identify that what I was seeing on CryptoWallet wasn’t there,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to FOX 5, Gwinnett County police explained that while the trading app was real, the scammers had created an AI-generated \"ghost site\" that manipulated what the husband saw on his screen; the husband recalled the officer identifying that what he was seeing on the wallet was not there.","causal_attribution":"Police explanation as relayed by FOX 5, plus the husband's recollection of it to FOX 5; a Cobb County government page repeats FOX 5's summary and the AJC's legible text does not mention AI; the tool and method are not described."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The 74-year-old’s head was spinning. He felt sick.'; 'It’s teary, embarrassing. I feel ashamed.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'say the ordeal left them angry, embarrassed, and financially devastated.'; 'The couple's children have launched a GoFundMe to help them meet day-to-day expenses.'; 'investigators say in many cases like this, the victims rarely recover their funds.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The husband, 74, described feeling sick and ashamed; the couple said they were financially devastated and their children started a fundraiser for day-to-day expenses; police said victims rarely recover such funds.","causal_attribution":"The couple's accounts to two outlets."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A retired Georgia couple is warning others after losing their entire life savings—nearly $800,000—in an elaborate cryptocurrency scam that began with a message on WhatsApp.'; 'encouraging him to invest in cryptocurrency using a mobile trading app.'; 'seeing modest returns, and even able to withdraw funds—building his trust.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to FOX 5, the couple are retired, the money was their entire life savings, and the scam began when a stranger contacted the husband on WhatsApp and encouraged him to invest through a mobile trading app, where he traded small amounts and could withdraw funds before investing more.","causal_attribution":"The couple's account to FOX 5 only."}],"effects":[{"label":"a couple lost about $800,000 in a cryptocurrency scam","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"the husband describes feeling sick and ashamed; the couple's children started a fundraiser to help them meet day-to-day expenses","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-couple-loses-800k-sophisticated-cryptocurrency-scam","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Full body read by curl on 2026-09-29 and re-read on 2026-10-09 (HTTP 200) (published 12 June 2025). FOX 5 interviewed the couple and relays an explanation from Gwinnett County police.","independence_group":"fox5"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/gwinnett-couple-warn-others-after-losing-800k-in-cryptocurrency-scam/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read by curl on 2026-09-29 and re-read on 2026-10-09 (HTTP 200; the Internet Archive capture is scrambled the same way) (published 12 June 2025). Only the headline, caption and first paragraphs are legible; the rest of the body is served scrambled (reversed, reordered words) and could not be read. The AJC interviewed the husband separately. r.jina.ai 403.","independence_group":"ajc"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance"],"unknowns":["How AI was used to generate the fake site, which tool was used and which parts of what the husband saw were generated.","Where the scammers were based.","Whether any funds were recovered or anyone charged.","When the scheme began.","Whether the AJC's scrambled body, or the WSB-TV and 11Alive reports that could not be fetched, describe the AI element independently."],"geography":{"basis":"Both outlets locate the couple in Gwinnett County, Georgia (the AJC: their northeast Gwinnett County home); where the scammers operated is unknown.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a concrete fraud case in which police are reported to have identified an AI-generated fake site that showed the husband false account information while he invested; the loss is the couple's own account given to two outlets, the AI element is a police explanation relayed by one of them, and the record states those limits. Reviewed on 2026-10-09 to record the AI output's relation to the harmed couple (the generated site communicated false balances to the husband).","reviewed_on":"2026-10-09"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"What the AI generated: FOX 5 relays Gwinnett County police explaining that, while the trading app was real, the scammers had created an AI-generated \"ghost site\" that manipulated what the husband saw on the screen, and the husband recalled the officer identifying that what he was seeing on the wallet was not there (c2). Connection to the harm: police gave the ghost site as the explanation of how the scam worked, a manipulated view of his investments on the screen while he traded and invested larger amounts until he could not withdraw (c2, c4), and the couple say roughly $800,000 is gone (c1); which parts of the display were generated is not described. Relation: the generated site presented false account information to the husband, so the AI output was communicated to him (communicated_with); it impersonated no person. Limits: the attribution to AI is a police explanation relayed by one outlet; the tool, the method of generation and which parts of the display were generated are not described, and the AJC body, whose legible part does not mention AI, could not be read in full.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Georgia: a retired couple lost about $800,000 in a crypto scam that police said used an AI-generated \"ghost site\" to fake what the husband saw on screen (2025)","summary":"A retired couple in Gwinnett County, Georgia, told FOX 5 Atlanta and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in June 2025 that they had lost about $800,000 ($802,000 per the AJC), their life savings, in a cryptocurrency scam that began when a stranger contacted the husband on WhatsApp and encouraged him to trade through a mobile app. He traded and withdrew small amounts before investing more, and discovered the fraud when he could not withdraw and called 911. According to FOX 5, Gwinnett County police explained that the app was real but the scammers had created an AI-generated \"ghost site\" that manipulated what he saw on the screen; the husband said police identified that what he was seeing on the wallet was not there. The 74-year-old said he felt sick and ashamed; the couple's children started a fundraiser for day-to-day expenses, and police said such funds are rarely recovered. The tool is not described; the AI element appears in no independently reported source (a Cobb County government page of January 2026 repeats FOX 5's summary, and the AJC's legible text does not mention AI).","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-06-12","aiSystem":"Unidentified AI tool used by scammers to generate a fake (\"ghost\") site showing false account balances on a real trading app, per Gwinnett County police as relayed by FOX 5 Atlanta","aiProduct":"Unidentified website tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A retired couple lost about $800,000, their life savings, to a crypto investment scam (their accounts to FOX 5 and the AJC); police told FOX 5 the scammers used an AI-generated fake site to show false balances. The husband describes shame and distress.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"The husband and wife, who lost their joint savings (2 other people: they were deceived by the scammers' AI-made site rather than using an AI system themselves).","victimAgeRange":"elderly","jurisdiction":"US-GA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-couple-loses-800k-sophisticated-cryptocurrency-scam","primarySourceLabel":"FOX 5 Atlanta, 12 June 2025: Georgia couple loses $800K in sophisticated cryptocurrency scam","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T09:10:55.774776+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-09T03:23:27.53992+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["investment-scam","cryptocurrency","whatsapp","ai-generated-site","elderly","georgia","gwinnett"]},{"id":"2026-sonbhadra-retired-official-ai-nude-images-digital-arrest-extortion","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'for allegedly duping a retired official of about ₹2.36 crore in a digital arrest scam by posing as senior judicial and govt officials'; 'misused AI to create deepfake images and forged documents to intimidate and blackmail victims'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'AI तकनीक का गलत इस्तेमाल करके पीड़ित की फर्जी अश्लील तस्वीरें भी बना ली गईं. इसी ब्लैकमेलिंग और खौफ के दम पर जालसाजों ने अलग-अलग बैंक खातों में करीब 2 करोड़ 36 लाख रुपये ट्रांसफर करा लिए.'; 'एसपी ने बताया कि मुख्य आरोपी फेसबुक फ्रेंड लिस्ट से लोगों को फंसाता था और उनकी तस्वीरों का गलत इस्तेमाल कर महिला सहयोगियों के साथ मिलकर वसूली करता था.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'पुलिस के अनुसार आरोपी एआई तकनीक का इस्तेमाल कर डीपफेक तस्वीरें और फर्जी दस्तावेज तैयार करता था। इन्हीं के जरिए पीड़ित पर दबाव बनाने और रकम वसूलने का आरोप है।'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'इसका फायदा उठाकर एआई जनित फर्जी व न्यूड तस्वीरें भेजी गई। उन्हें बदनाम करने और परिवार को क्षति पहुंचाने की धमकी देते हुए अलग-अलग खातों में एक से डेढ़ माह के भीतर लगभग 2.36 करोड़ रुपये ट्रांसफर करा लिया गया।'; 'कभी न्यूड फोटो वायरल कर बदनाम कर देने, कभी परिवार को नुकसान पहुंचाने की धमकी देकर एक से डेढ़ माह तक उन्हें ठगी का शिकार बनाते रहे।'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Police say a retired official in Sonbhadra was made to transfer about Rs 2.36 crore into accounts named by extortionists, who frightened him by posing as or invoking senior judicial and government officials and threatened him using fake nude or obscene images made with AI.","causal_attribution":"The Sonbhadra police account (SP and additional SP) as relayed by four outlets; the accused's response is not reported. Whether the images depicted the victim rests on ETV Bharat's wording."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'वह खुद लड़की बनकर पीड़ित से चैट कर रहा था और उसे एआई से बनी तस्वीरें भेज रहा था।'; 'लोन लेकर भी रुपये ट्रांसफर किए'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to Amar Ujala's report of the police briefing, the man had been chatting on WhatsApp with someone he believed to be a young woman, the alleged organiser posed as that woman and sent him AI-made pictures, and he also took a loan to meet the demands.","causal_attribution":"Amar Ujala's account of the SP's statement; the other three reports frame the case as a digital arrest without the WhatsApp chat."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'the case surfaced on Sept 22 after an SBI branch manager alerted the Cyber Crime Police Station that a retired employee was repeatedly transferring large sums of money and appeared to be acting under pressure'; 'Police said they have frozen or placed a hold on ₹75 lakh of the defrauded amount.'; 'An FIR was registered at the Sonbhadra Cyber Crime police station under relevant legal provisions.'; 'Cyber Crime Police in Sonbhadra arrested three people, including the alleged mastermind'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'एक बुजुर्ग रिटायर्ड कर्मचारी लगातार अनजान खातों में बड़ी रकम ट्रांसफर कर रहा है और पूछताछ करने पर घबरा रहा है.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The case came to light on 22 September 2026 when a State Bank of India manager alerted the Cyber Crime police station that a retired employee was repeatedly transferring large sums and appeared to be under pressure; police froze about Rs 75 lakh, registered an FIR and arrested three people.","causal_attribution":"Police account relayed by the Times of India and ETV Bharat."}],"effects":[{"label":"a retired official transferred about Rs 2.36 crore, including borrowed money, under threats built on a fake judicial 'digital arrest' and AI-made fake nude images","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/retd-official-duped-of-2-36cr-in-deepfake-backed-digital-arrest-racket-mastermind-held/articleshow/134492122.cms","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-26 and retained (Times of India, Lucknow city page; English). Relays the SP/ASP account: digital arrest by people posing as judicial and government officials, SBI alert on 22 September, Rs 2.36 crore, Rs 75 lakh frozen, FIR, three arrests, AI deepfake images and forged documents.","independence_group":"sonbhadra-police-briefing"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/varanasi/ai-generated-nude-photos-retired-officer-swindled-2-crore-in-scheme-involving-fianc-three-arrested-2026-09-25","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"hi","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Amar Ujala, Varanasi/Sonbhadra, 25 September 2026; Hindi). Reports the SP's Friday briefing with a sextortion framing: WhatsApp chat with a supposed woman, AI-generated fake and nude pictures, threats of defamation and harm to family, one to one-and-a-half months of transfers, a loan, the provident-fund withdrawal that alerted the chief manager. Reviewer translation; no human translator.","independence_group":"sonbhadra-police-briefing"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.etvbharat.com/hi/state/sonbhadra-digital-arrest-cyber-fraud-2-crore-36-lakh-three-arrested-ups26092507105","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"hi","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (ETV Bharat Hindi, Sonbhadra, 25 September 2026). Digital arrest by fraudsters invoking the higher judiciary; AI misused to create fake obscene pictures of the victim; bank manager's suspicion on 22 September; arrests and recoveries. Reviewer translation.","independence_group":"sonbhadra-police-briefing"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://newstrack.com/uttar-pradesh/sonbhadra/digital-arrest-scam-retired-officer-2-36-crore-three-arrested-634727","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"hi","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Newstrack, Sonbhadra, 25 September 2026; Hindi). Police account: bank manager's alert, fear of courts and senior officials, Rs 2.36 crore to three accounts, Rs 75 lakh frozen, police say the accused used AI to prepare deepfake pictures and forged documents to pressure the victim. Reviewer translation.","independence_group":"sonbhadra-police-briefing"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","privacy","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["When the extortion began; Amar Ujala gives a span of one to one-and-a-half months ending around 22 September 2026, and no report gives a start date.","Whom the AI-made images showed: ETV Bharat says fake obscene pictures of the victim; Amar Ujala says AI-generated nude pictures were sent to him and that he was threatened with defamation by their being made viral, without saying whom they showed; ETV quotes the SP as saying the accused misused pictures of people taken from Facebook friend lists, without mentioning AI.","Which AI tool was used and whether police have examined the images.","How the digital-arrest threats and the image-based blackmail related to each other; the outlets frame the same police briefing differently.","The sections of law applied and whether charges have been filed; the accused's response."],"geography":{"basis":"The victim, the bank and the investigating Cyber Crime police station are in Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh (Times of India; ETV Bharat places the bank branch in Robertsganj); the accused were arrested in Prayagraj and are from Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh) and Raigad (Maharashtra). No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IN"],"affected_person_countries":["IN"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an AI-assisted extortion case with a registered FIR and arrests, reported by four outlets from one Sonbhadra police briefing (one independence group; all claims reported). The victim and the accused are not named and the images are not described.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-27"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Police at the 25 September briefing said the accused used AI to create deepfake images (and forged documents) to intimidate and blackmail (Times of India, Newstrack). ETV Bharat reports the AI images were fake obscene pictures of the victim, which is the basis for the depicted_or_impersonated relation; Amar Ujala says AI-generated fake and nude pictures were sent to him in a WhatsApp chat by the accused posing as a woman, without saying whom they showed. No examination of the images is described. ETV Bharat also quotes the SP as saying the organiser ensnared people from Facebook friend lists and misused their pictures (no AI reference in that passage).","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Sonbhadra (Uttar Pradesh): police say a retired official was pressured into transferring about Rs 2.36 crore over one to one-and-a-half months by extortionists who posed as judicial and government officials and used AI-made fake nude images to threaten him; three arrested after a bank manager's alert (September 2026)","summary":"Sonbhadra police say a retired official in Uttar Pradesh transferred about Rs 2.36 crore into accounts named by extortionists, including money raised through a loan, before a State Bank of India manager noticed the repeated transfers on 22 September 2026 and alerted the cyber crime police station. At a press briefing on 25 September the superintendent of police said the fraudsters had frightened the man by invoking the higher judiciary and senior government officials (a so-called digital arrest) and had used AI to create fake obscene or nude images to blackmail him with threats of defamation and harm to his family (Times of India, Amar Ujala, ETV Bharat, Newstrack). Police froze about Rs 75 lakh, registered an FIR and arrested three people, including the alleged organiser; the outlets relay one police account, and they describe the AI element differently (images of the victim, or images sent to him during a WhatsApp chat with someone posing as a woman).","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-25","aiSystem":"AI image generation tool (unidentified) alleged by police to have been used to create fake nude/obscene 'deepfake' images used for blackmail","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss","exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Police say a retired official lost about Rs 2.36 crore, including borrowed money, to extortion that used a fake judicial 'digital arrest' and AI-made fake nude images with threats of defamation and harm to his family; about Rs 75 lakh was frozen (Sonbhadra police briefing as reported by the Times of India, Amar Ujala, ETV Bharat and Newstrack).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the retired official who made the transfers (all four reports). Police say the accused used such images against 'victims' generally (Times of India), but no other victim is identified, so the case count is exactly one.","victimAgeRange":"elderly","jurisdiction":"IN-UP","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/retd-official-duped-of-2-36cr-in-deepfake-backed-digital-arrest-racket-mastermind-held/articleshow/134492122.cms","primarySourceLabel":"Times of India (Lucknow), 26 September 2026: Retd official duped of Rs 2.36cr in deepfake-backed 'digital arrest' racket; mastermind held","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-27T03:39:44.548825+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:53.842933+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","sextortion","digital-arrest","financial-fraud","whatsapp","elderly","india","uttar-pradesh","sonbhadra","depicted-or-impersonated"]}]}