{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-11-14T10:49:42.557Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"elderly","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"2025","response":"regulatory","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":3,"coverage":{"cases":3,"countries":3,"languages":3,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":3,"minors":0,"coreRelations":3,"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":"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"]}]}