{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-24T01:50:53.526Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"facebook","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"2025","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":10,"coverage":{"cases":10,"countries":4,"languages":2,"unknownLocation":4,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":2,"minors":0,"coreRelations":10,"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-queens-prosecutors-say-council-candidate-used-ai-to-fake-endorsements-and-news-reports-about-opponent","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'was arraigned today on a criminal complaint charging him with three counts of forgery in the third degree and 15 counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree.'; 'was arrested on June 24 by members of the Queens District Attorney’s Detective Bureau.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Queens District Attorney charged a former New York City Council candidate in District 29 with three counts of third-degree forgery and 15 counts of third-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument; he was arrested on 24 June 2026 and arraigned on a criminal complaint.","causal_attribution":"The district attorney's own record of the charges; the charges are accusations."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Court-authorized subpoena records and search warrants revealed that, between January 17 and November 4, 2025,'; 'routinely and deliberately created and posted AI-generated images on his official social media accounts – primarily Facebook and Instagram – that falsely depicted endorsements from individuals and organizations that had not backed his candidacy and in fact, backed the opposition.'; 'allegedly used specific AI prompts to manufacture fraudulent news articles, using the logo and branding of legitimate news organizations'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors allege that subpoena records and search warrants showed that between 17 January and 4 November 2025 the candidate created and posted AI-generated images on his campaign's Facebook and Instagram accounts that falsely depicted endorsements, and used AI prompts to make fake news articles carrying the branding of real news organisations.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' allegation, based on records their investigation obtained; not yet tested in court."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'on October 4, 2025,'; 'The article depicted a photograph of the defendant shaking hands with former New York City Council Member Robert Holden under the title,'; 'He then allegedly prompted an AI platform to: “Take the first image and face swap the man in the left on the second image”'; 'The generated image fictitiously depicted the defendant shaking hands with the former council member'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say that on 4 October 2025 the candidate prompted an AI platform to face-swap his own face into a photo, producing an image of him shaking hands with former council member Robert Holden, which he placed in a fake New York Post article claiming Holden had endorsed him.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' account of the prompts recovered in their investigation."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“It's a fake, AI-generated image and Holden did not endorse Rinaldi,” said Holden’s longtime Chief of Staff Daniel Kurzyna, whose name is used as the byline on the story.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In October 2025 the former council member's chief of staff told the Queens Daily Eagle that the handshake image was a fake, AI-generated image and that the former member had not endorsed the candidate.","causal_attribution":"The chief of staff's statement to the Eagle; he does not say how he knew the image was AI-generated."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'prompted Google Gemini to place that image onto a fictious Amsterdam News article.'; 'The fake article generated by his prompts, titled “Mamdani supporter Councilwoman … questioned by police for hacking,”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say that in October 2025 the candidate prompted Google Gemini to place a photo taken from the official Instagram account of his opponent, incumbent Council Member Lynn Schulman, onto a fake Amsterdam News article whose headline said a councilwoman who supported Mamdani had been questioned by police for hacking, and posted it to Instagram.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' account of the prompts recovered in their investigation."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On October 24, 2025,'; 'published a fictitious video to his Facebook account that was generated with Sora, an OpenAI application, with the caption, “!!!!Breaking news!!!! Lynn Schulman drops out of race for city council !!!”'; 'two additional videos were manufactured to mimic fictious broadcast segments.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say that on 24 October 2025 the candidate posted a video generated with OpenAI's Sora in which a purported news anchor announced that his opponent had ended her campaign, and posted further fake articles and videos saying she had dropped out.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' allegation."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'public institutions that do not allow political endorsements, were AI-generated videos that depicted what appeared to be police officers and children making statements in support of'; 'None of the officers or children depicted worked at the precinct or attended P.S. 101.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say the candidate also posted AI-generated videos of what appeared to be police officers and children endorsing him on behalf of a police precinct and an elementary school, public institutions that do not allow political endorsements; none of the people shown worked at the precinct or attended the school.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' allegation."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In a recorded call that occurred several days after the image was posted, the head of QJA spoke with'; 'The manipulated QJA endorsement was taken down but then subsequently re-posted to the defendant’s Facebook and Instagram accounts on October 29, 2025.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say the head of the Queens Jewish Alliance spoke with the candidate in a recorded call to ask about an altered copy of the alliance's endorsement sheet, and that the post was taken down and then re-posted on 29 October 2025.","causal_attribution":"The prosecutors' account; they describe this sheet as altered and do not say which tool altered it."},{"id":"c9","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“My opponent has decided that his best path to victory is by lying about me and creating fake news to divide our community.”'; '“Any person who would stoop to creating and publishing fake news and AI videos to divide the community is wholly unfit to serve in elected office,” the councilmember added.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In October 2025 the opponent said in a statement that her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news to divide the community, and that anyone who would create and publish fake news and AI videos was unfit for office.","causal_attribution":"The opponent's own statement to the Eagle."},{"id":"c10","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'“My accounts have definitely been hacked and I’m looking into it,” he said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'He said he would not confirm or deny that he made the posts or generated the images at issue.'; '“This is an issue that strikes at the heart of our First Amendment freedoms — not just for me, but for everybody.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"In October 2025 the candidate told the Queens Daily Eagle that his accounts had been hacked, and in June 2026 he told the Associated Press he would not confirm or deny making the posts or generating the images and called the case a free-speech issue.","causal_attribution":"The accused's own statements, recorded as counterevidence; the Eagle notes the accounts had posted apparently AI-created images since April 2025."},{"id":"c11","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'including some of his Democratic opponent, Lynn Schulman, appearing to wear a shirt that read “Hot Girls for Zohran.”'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'also posted doctored images of his opponent Schulman, standing next to Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and wearing branded “Hot Girls for Zohran” T-shirts.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the Associated Press's account of the complaint, prosecutors allege the candidate used AI to make doctored photos of his opponent appearing to wear a shirt reading “Hot Girls for Zohran”; the Queens Daily Eagle reported on 6 October 2025 that his campaign accounts had posted doctored images of her wearing such T-shirts.","causal_attribution":"The AI use is the prosecutors' allegation as relayed by the AP; the Eagle describes the images as doctored without naming a tool."}],"effects":[{"label":"the opponent said in October 2025 that her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news","claim_id":"c9","direction":"negative"},{"label":"an AI face-swapped image showed a former council member endorsing a candidate he did not back; his office called it fake","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://queensda.org/former-city-council-candidate-charged-with-forgery-for-disseminating-altered-political-endorsements-and-phony-news-reports/","kind":"press_release","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Queens County District Attorney press release, 24 June 2026, summarising the criminal complaint and the investigation's subpoena and search-warrant records; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"queens-da-complaint-jun-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://queenseagle.com/all/2025/10/6/queens-council-candidate-flaunts-fake-endorsements-and-doctored-news-articles","kind":"original_news_reporting","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Queens Daily Eagle, 6 October 2025, contemporaneous report with its own statements from the opponent, a state assembly member, the former council member's chief of staff and the candidate; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"queens-eagle-6-oct-2025"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politics/new-york-city-council-candidate-is-accused-of-forgery-over-ai-generated-posts/6517926/","kind":"wire_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Associated Press report published by NBC New York, 25 June 2026, with the AP's own phone interview of the accused; its account of the charges relays the district attorney's complaint; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"ap-24-jun-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["elections","public_life","justice"],"unknowns":["Which AI platform produced the face-swapped handshake image; the prosecutors quote the prompt but do not name the platform.","How many people saw the posts, and whether any voter acted on them.","The outcome of the criminal case."],"geography":{"basis":"The posts concerned a 2025 New York City Council race in Queens District 29, the depicted officials are Queens elected officials, and the charges were brought by the Queens District Attorney in Queens Criminal Court (district attorney release, Queens Daily Eagle).","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the Queens District Attorney alleges, from subpoena records and search warrants, that a council candidate used an AI face swap, Google Gemini and OpenAI's Sora to make images, a fake article and a newscast video depicting a former council member's endorsement and his opponent's withdrawal; the opponent and the former member's office objected in October 2025. The charges are accusations and the accused has not admitted the posts.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-19"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Queens District Attorney, citing court-authorised subpoena records and search warrants, alleges the specific AI use: a prompt to an AI platform to face-swap the candidate into a photo, producing an image of him shaking hands with a former council member; prompts to Google Gemini that produced a fake newspaper article about his opponent; and a video generated with OpenAI's Sora announcing that she had quit. The former council member's chief of staff separately told the Queens Daily Eagle in October 2025 that the handshake image was fake and AI-generated. The accused said his accounts were hacked and has not confirmed or denied making the posts; the charges are untested.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Queens prosecutors say a City Council candidate used AI to fake endorsements and news reports, including a video saying his opponent quit","summary":"The Queens District Attorney charged a former candidate for New York City Council District 29 with forgery in June 2026, alleging that from January to November 2025 he posted AI-generated images, fake news articles and videos on his campaign's Facebook and Instagram accounts. Prosecutors say subpoena records and search warrants show he prompted an AI platform to face-swap himself into a photo shaking hands with former Council Member Robert Holden for a fake New York Post endorsement story, used Google Gemini to make a fake Amsterdam News article saying his opponent, Council Member Lynn Schulman, was questioned by police, and posted a Sora-generated newscast announcing that she had dropped out. They also allege AI videos of apparent police officers and children endorsing him. In October 2025 Holden's chief of staff told the Queens Daily Eagle the handshake image was fake and AI-generated, and Schulman said her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news. The accused said his accounts were hacked and later told the AP he would not confirm or deny making the posts.","incidentDate":"2025-01-17","incidentEndDate":"2025-11-04","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-10-06","aiSystem":"Google Gemini and OpenAI's Sora, plus an unnamed AI platform used for a face swap, as identified by Queens prosecutors from the candidate's prompts","aiProduct":"Gemini and Sora (reported)","aiCompany":"Google; OpenAI","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Prosecutors allege AI-made posts falsely showed a former council member endorsing a candidate and falsely reported that the candidate's opponent had dropped out and been questioned by police; the opponent said on 6 October 2025 that her opponent was lying about her and creating fake news, and the former member's office called the image fake.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"Two depicted officials whose objections are reported are counted: the opponent (her statement to the Queens Daily Eagle) and the former council member (his chief of staff's statement that the image was fake and AI-generated). Other officials, organisations, the depicted institutions and voters are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-NY","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"pending","primarySourceUrl":"https://queensda.org/former-city-council-candidate-charged-with-forgery-for-disseminating-altered-political-endorsements-and-phony-news-reports/","primarySourceLabel":"Queens District Attorney, 24 June 2026: former City Council candidate charged with forgery over altered endorsements and phony news reports","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-19T03:05:46.305704+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-19T03:05:46.305704+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["election","deepfake","ai-generated-image","ai-generated-video","fake-news-article","forgery-charge","public-figure","depicted"]},{"id":"2025-sweden-authorities-say-ai-made-ads-of-finance-profiles-drew-savers-into-pump-and-dump-frauds","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Över 5 000 svenskar har förlorat sammanlagt en halv miljard kronor i år i så kallade \"pump and dump\"-bedrägerier.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Hittills har över 5 000 svenska småsparare gått miste om en halv miljard kronor i bedrägerierna, enligt Finansinspektionen.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'Enligt Finansinspektionens senaste siffror har omkring 5 000 svenskar drabbats i år och förlorat sammanlagt en halv miljard kronor till bedragarna.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'ska enligt den svenska tillsynsmyndigheten FI ha lurat mer än 5 000 svenskar. Totalt uppgår summan till en halv miljard kronor som bedragarna tillskansat sig.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"}],"assertion":"Several outlets, citing Finansinspektionen (the Swedish financial supervisor), reported in October 2025 that more than 5,000 small savers in Sweden had lost a total of about half a billion kronor that year in so-called pump-and-dump share frauds.","causal_attribution":"Finansinspektionen's figure for pump-and-dump frauds as a whole, relayed by several outlets (one origin); it does not say how many of these savers saw an AI-made advert."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'”Vissa privatpersoner har förlorat flera miljoner kronor”, säger Jimmy Kvarnström, chef för avdelningen Marknader på Finansinspektionen (FI), till SVT:s Ekonomibyrån.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"}],"assertion":"A Finansinspektionen head of department told SVT that some private individuals had lost several million kronor.","causal_attribution":"Statement of a supervisory official as relayed from SVT."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'– Det som är skillnad nu är att det är en förfinad metod där man använder sig av senaste tekniken med AI. Jag kan inte gå närmare in på vilka utredningar vi bedriver eftersom det råder förundersökningssekretess, säger Björn Rygart.'; '– Det vi ser nu är en ny typ av tillvägagångssätt, som styrs från utlandet.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"An investigator (kammarkommissarie) at the Swedish Economic Crime Authority told TT that the frauds were a new, refined method using the latest AI technology, run from abroad, and that the investigator could not describe the authority's investigations because of preliminary-investigation secrecy.","causal_attribution":"The investigating authority's attribution of AI use to the method; it does not say how the AI use was established or which tools were used."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Standardförfarandet är ett tips på Facebook där en känd ekonomiprofil berättar om en säker aktieinvestering.'; '– Jag och omkring 15 – 20 andra finansprofiler har använts. Den som luras anmodas att gå med i en whats up-grupp där man kommer få våra bästa aktietips helt utan kostnad'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to TV4, the usual pattern began with a tip on Facebook in which a well-known finance profile appeared to recommend a safe share investment; the investor interviewed said those deceived were asked to join a WhatsApp group promising free share tips, and that he and about 15 to 20 other finance profiles had been used.","causal_attribution":"TV4's description and the investor's account; one outlet."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Günter Mårder fick veta att han förekom i sammanhanget när folk började höra av sig till honom.'; '– Det handlade om 30, 40 annonser. Det började komma AI-producerade filmer, där jag pratade och stod inne på redaktionen på Dagens Industri där jag är krönikör'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The investor said he learned of the scheme when people began contacting him, that it involved 30 to 40 adverts, and that AI-produced films appeared in which he spoke in the newsroom of the paper where he is a columnist or in a podcast studio he was associated with.","causal_attribution":"The depicted investor's own description of the adverts, reported by TV4; the films are not shown to have been examined."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'– Hela sommaren gick åt till att hantera alla frågor som kom. Det gör ont eftersom det är inom ett fält där jag och de andra har vår profession.'; 'Jag är besviken på Meta som inte håller rent på sin egen gård.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The investor said that his whole summer went on handling the questions that came in, that it hurt because it concerned his profession and reputation, and that he was disappointed in Meta for not keeping its platform clean.","causal_attribution":"His own account to TV4."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Ekonomijournalisten Gabriel Mellqvist, vars identitet utnyttjats, uttrycker frustration över att Meta, som äger Facebook, inte agerar mot de falska profilerna.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Swedish financial journalist Gabriel Mellqvist is one such profile whose identity has been deepfaked using AI to con investors'; 'frustrated that his professional reputation is being damaged.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'– Jag känner stor frustration. Jag tycker det är bedrövligt att stora bolag inte tar i med hårdhandskarna mot sånt här, säger han till SR Ekot.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Sveriges Radio reported that a financial journalist's identity had been used in fake Facebook profiles by the fraudsters; its English service said his identity had been deepfaked using AI and that he was frustrated that his professional reputation was being damaged, and he told SR he felt great frustration that large companies such as Meta did not act harder against it.","causal_attribution":"Sveriges Radio's report and its interview with the journalist (Omni relays the same interview); the AI description of his case is SR's English-service wording."}],"effects":[{"label":"savers' losses in pump-and-dump share frauds promoted with finance profiles' likenesses","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"depicted investor's summer spent answering questions and harm to professional reputation","claim_id":"c6","direction":"negative"},{"label":"depicted financial journalist's frustration at damage to professional reputation","claim_id":"c7","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.tv4.se/artikel/6YQRkByHXwnifKU4fHbRN1/finansprofiler-utnyttjas-av-bedragare-5000-svenskar-har-blivit-lurade","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-17 and translated into English by the research agent (an AI); no human translator or reviewer was involved. TV4 Nyheterna report of 24 October 2025 with its own interview of the investor; read in full (HTTP 200). Its savers figure is unattributed in TV4's text and matches the Finansinspektionen figure other outlets attribute.","independence_group":"tv4-24-oct-2025"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/smasparare-lurade-pa-halv-miljard-bedragare-ai-fejkar-finansprofiler","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-17 and translated into English by the research agent (an AI); no human translator or reviewer was involved. Sveriges Radio Ekot item of 30 October 2025; the live URL returned HTTP 403 and the Internet Archive capture was read in full (text standfirst of a radio piece).","independence_group":"sveriges-radio-ekot-30-oct-2025"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/thousands-of-small-savers-in-sweden-conned-out-of-millions-in-ai-powered-deepfake-investment-scams","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Sveriges Radio's English service (Radio Sweden) version of 31 October 2025 of the same Ekot report; live URL HTTP 403, Internet Archive capture read in full. Same origin as the Swedish item.","independence_group":"sveriges-radio-ekot-30-oct-2025"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://omni.se/profilen-rasar-mot-meta-jag-kanner-stor-frustration/a/yELAAJ","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-17 and translated into English by the research agent (an AI); no human translator or reviewer was involved. Omni summary of 30 October 2025 relaying the journalist's interview with SR Ekot and the Finansinspektionen figure; read in full (HTTP 200). Grouped with SR because the quotation is SR's.","independence_group":"sveriges-radio-ekot-30-oct-2025"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://efn.se/ny-avancerad-ai-brottsvag-tusentals-svenskar-lurade-forfinad-metod","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-17 and translated into English by the research agent (an AI); no human translator or reviewer was involved. EFN report of 26 October 2025 carrying the Economic Crime Authority investigator's statements given to the TT news agency; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"tt-economic-crime-authority-interview-oct-2025"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.dagensps.se/bors-finans/aktier/over-5-000-smasparare-blasta-i-nya-bedrageriet/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-17 and translated into English by the research agent (an AI); no human translator or reviewer was involved. Dagens PS report of 20 October 2025 relaying SVT Ekonomibyrån's report and the Finansinspektionen official's statement to SVT; read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"svt-ekonomibyran-oct-2025"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","work"],"unknowns":["How many of the savers counted by Finansinspektionen saw an AI-made advert rather than another kind of tip, and their individual losses.","How the Economic Crime Authority established that AI was used, and which tools generated the films or images.","Whether any defrauded saver saw an advert depicting the investor or the journalist interviewed.","Whether Meta removed the adverts, and the outcome of the Economic Crime Authority's investigations."],"geography":{"basis":"Finansinspektionen's figure counts savers in Sweden, and the depicted investor and journalist are Swedish finance figures interviewed by Swedish media. The Economic Crime Authority says the frauds are run from abroad and no source locates the adverts' operation, so event countries are left unknown.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["SE"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the Economic Crime Authority says the 2025 pump-and-dump frauds against Swedish savers use AI, a depicted investor describes AI-produced films of himself in the adverts and the time and reputational cost to him, and a depicted financial journalist describes damage to his reputation. Finansinspektionen's savers figure is recorded without being tied to the AI adverts, and the AI attribution's technical basis is undisclosed.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-17"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"An investigator at the Swedish Economic Crime Authority, which is investigating these frauds, told TT that the pump-and-dump frauds use a refined method with the latest AI technology. The investor depicted in the adverts says AI-produced films showed him speaking in places associated with him, and that the adverts drew people towards a WhatsApp share-tip group. Finansinspektionen's figures describe the savers' losses. The authority does not say how the AI use was established or which tools were used, and no source examined a particular film.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Sweden: Economic Crime Authority says pump-and-dump share frauds on small savers used AI; an investor describes AI-made adverts of himself","summary":"In October 2025 Swedish media, citing Finansinspektionen, reported that more than 5,000 small savers had lost about half a billion kronor that year in pump-and-dump share frauds, and a Finansinspektionen official said some had lost several million kronor. An investigator at the Economic Crime Authority told TT that the frauds, run from abroad, use a refined method with the latest AI technology. TV4 described the usual pattern as a Facebook tip in which a well-known finance profile appears to recommend a safe investment, leading to a WhatsApp group. The investor Günter Mårder said 30 to 40 adverts and AI-produced films showed him speaking, that about 15 to 20 finance profiles had been used, and that his whole summer went on handling questions. Sveriges Radio reported that the financial journalist Gabriel Mellqvist's identity had been used and that he was frustrated at the damage to his professional reputation and at Meta's inaction. The authority does not say how the AI use was established, and the savers figure is not tied to the AI adverts.","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2025-10-20","aiSystem":"Unidentified tools used by fraudsters to produce films and images imitating well-known Swedish finance profiles in Facebook investment adverts; the Economic Crime Authority describes the method as using AI and names no tool","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss","reputational_harm","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Finansinspektionen, as relayed, counts over 5,000 savers who lost about half a billion kronor in 2025 pump-and-dump frauds; a depicted investor says his summer went on answering questions and that it hurt professionally, and a depicted financial journalist describes frustration at damage to his reputation.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"The two depicted finance figures who describe adverse consequences are counted: the investor (TV4) and the financial journalist (Sveriges Radio, relayed by Omni). Finansinspektionen's figure of over 5,000 defrauded savers covers pump-and-dump frauds as a whole and is not tied to the AI adverts saver by saver, so the savers are an unquantified remainder.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"SE","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.tv4.se/artikel/6YQRkByHXwnifKU4fHbRN1/finansprofiler-utnyttjas-av-bedragare-5000-svenskar-har-blivit-lurade","primarySourceLabel":"TV4 Nyheterna, 24 October 2025: finance profiles exploited by fraudsters, 5,000 Swedes deceived","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-17T03:02:11.418899+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-17T03:06:43.830977+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake_advert","investment_fraud","pump_and_dump","finance_profile_likeness","sweden"]},{"id":"2025-missouri-pizzeria-says-google-ai-overviews-showed-nonexistent-specials-angry-customers-yelled-at-staff","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Please do not use Google AI to find out our specials. Please go on our Facebook page or our website. Google AI is not accurate and is telling people specials that do not exist which is causing angry customers yelling at our employees. We cannot control what Google posts or says and we will not honor the Google AI specials.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The false information led to customer complaints and confusion, forcing the restaurant to post on Facebook and ask customers not to rely on AI-generated search results.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"In August 2025 the restaurant posted on Facebook asking customers not to use Google AI to find its specials, saying Google AI was telling people about specials that do not exist, that this was causing angry customers to yell at its employees, and that it would not honour the Google AI specials.","causal_attribution":"The restaurant's own post, quoted by KMOV and summarised by the same reporter for InvestigateTV; one origin."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'One example she shared was an AI Overview that showed that Stefanina’s would offer a large pizza for the same price as a small.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'According to the business, a common confusion displayed by Google AI surrounds a deal in which customers can buy a small pizza and get another one for $4.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Stefanina’s in Wentzville has received calls from customers asking about deals that Google’s AI overview claims the restaurant offers, including a promotion for a second pizza for $4 and incorrect pricing information that said large pizzas cost the same as small ones.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Restaurant staff say Google's AI Overview showed deals and prices the restaurant does not offer, including a large pizza for the price of a small one and a second pizza for $4.","causal_attribution":"Restaurant staff accounts to two newsrooms; the same family member is the main witness in all three reports, so one origin. Google did not respond."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'When he told me how he found the information, he typed it in his Google search bar. And that first response that people see is generated by AI, so he couldn’t find it again,'; 'customers are coming back, being like, ‘Why aren’t you honoring the specials that say that is offered by you?’'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A restaurant manager told FOX 2 that a customer came in asking for a special the manager did not know of, having found it in the AI-generated first response to a Google search, and that customers kept asking why the restaurant was not honouring specials the AI said it offered.","causal_attribution":"The manager's account to FOX 2; the customer was not interviewed."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'As a small business, we can’t honor a Google AI special.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'We can’t, as a small family business, honor a Google AI special,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The restaurant says that, as a small family business, it cannot honour Google AI specials.","causal_attribution":"The restaurant's statements to the Gray Media reporter; one origin."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'It just seems unreasonable that people are coming in here, asking about food they don’t have,'; 'It’s got to be nerve-wracking for them.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A diner told FOX 2 it seemed unreasonable that people were coming in asking for food the restaurant did not have, and that it must be nerve-wracking for the staff.","causal_attribution":"A diner's impression given to FOX 2; he does not describe being misled himself."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Google did not respond to FirstAlert4’s messages about the situation.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Stefanina’s has been attempting to contact Google about their AI concerns, but they have received “inadequate responses.”'; 'FOX 2 also reached out to Google and did not receive a response in time for publication.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Google did not respond to either station's requests for comment; the restaurant told FOX 2 its attempts to contact Google had received inadequate responses.","causal_attribution":"Each station's own statement of its unanswered request; the restaurant's description of Google's replies is its own."}],"effects":[{"label":"customers misled about nonexistent specials and staff confronted by angry customers","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.firstalert4.com/2025/08/20/please-do-not-use-google-ai-find-out-our-specials-wentzville-restaurant-asks-patrons/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"KMOV First Alert 4 report published 19 August 2025, quoting the restaurant's Facebook post and a member of the owning family; read in full (HTTP 200). English original; no translation.","independence_group":"gray-media-kmov-investigatetv-wentzville"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/we-cannot-honor-ai-specials-wentzville-restaurant-swamped-with-fake-menu-items/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"FOX 2 St. Louis report of 12 September 2025 with its own interviews of restaurant staff and a diner; the live page returned HTTP 403 and an Internet Archive capture was read in full. English original; no translation.","independence_group":"fox2-st-louis-12-sep-2025"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.kktv.com/2026/01/30/restaurant-asks-customers-verify-information-after-ai-generates-fake-deals/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"InvestigateTV report on KKTV, 30 January 2026, by the same Gray Media reporter as the KMOV story, with further quotations from the restaurant; read in full (HTTP 200). English original; no translation.","independence_group":"gray-media-kmov-investigatetv-wentzville"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use","others_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life","work"],"unknowns":["When the AI Overview answers began and how long they continued; the January 2026 InvestigateTV report may republish the August 2025 story.","How many customers were misled and how many confrontations occurred.","The exact AI Overview text; no screenshot is published in the inspected reports.","Whether the $4 second-pizza deal shown by the AI distorted a deal the restaurant runs on Wednesdays: FOX 2 quotes the manager as saying the restaurant never offered that special and also that it has only ever run a deal on Wednesdays."],"geography":{"basis":"The restaurant is in Wentzville, Missouri, and the customers it describes came to or called the restaurant there (KMOV, FOX 2, InvestigateTV).","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with): the restaurant says Google's AI Overview told customers about specials and prices it does not offer, customers came in or called asking for them and were refused, and its post says this caused angry customers to yell at employees. The account is the restaurant's; Google did not comment.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-16"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The restaurant says Google's AI Overview answers to customers' searches stated specials and prices it does not offer (a large pizza for the price of a small one, a second pizza for $4); a manager describes a customer who came in asking for a special found in the AI-generated first search response, and the restaurant's post says the nonexistent specials were causing angry customers to yell at its employees. Google did not respond, and no AI Overview output was published or inspected.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Missouri pizzeria says Google AI Overviews told customers about specials that do not exist, and that angry customers demanding them yelled at staff","summary":"In August 2025 Stefanina's, a family-owned pizzeria in Wentzville, Missouri, posted on Facebook asking customers not to use Google AI to find its specials. The restaurant said Google AI was telling people about specials that do not exist, that this was causing angry customers to yell at its employees, and that it would not honour the Google AI specials. Staff told KMOV and FOX 2 that the AI Overview at the top of Google Search had shown deals such as a large pizza for the price of a small one and a second pizza for $4. A manager described a customer who came in asking for a special the manager had never heard of, found in the AI-generated first search response, and said customers kept asking why the specials were not honoured. Google did not respond to either station. The account comes from the restaurant; no AI Overview text or customer account was published.","incidentDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"ongoing_experience","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-08-19","aiSystem":"Google AI Overviews, the AI-generated summary shown at the top of Google Search results, which the restaurant says stated specials and prices it does not offer","aiProduct":"Google AI Overviews (reported)","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The restaurant says customers misled by the AI Overview were refused specials that do not exist and that angry customers yelled at its employees; no number of affected people is given.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"Unquantified: the restaurant refers to angry customers and its employees in the plural without a number, and a manager describes one customer individually without saying that customer was harmed beyond being refused; no lower bound is stated.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.firstalert4.com/2025/08/20/please-do-not-use-google-ai-find-out-our-specials-wentzville-restaurant-asks-patrons/","primarySourceLabel":"KMOV First Alert 4, 19 August 2025: Wentzville restaurant asks patrons not to use Google AI to find its specials","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-16T03:05:22.535996+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-16T03:05:22.535996+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai_overviews","search_summary","false_business_information","restaurant","customer_conflict"]},{"id":"2025-sweden-police-say-ai-generated-videos-of-known-doctors-in-health-product-ads-led-to-card-fraud","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Sedan slutet av maj har polisen i region Stockholm fått in flera anmälningar där målsägare blivit lurade i annonsbedrägerier med AI-generade videor föreställande läkare.'; 'De välgjorda filmerna är istället AI-genererade och har skapats av bedragare för att användas i annonser på sociala medier.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Stockholm police said in June 2025 that since the end of May they had received several complaints from people defrauded in advertisement scams using AI-generated videos depicting doctors, and that the videos were AI-generated and made by fraudsters for social media adverts.","causal_attribution":"Stockholm police statement; the police do not say how they established that the videos were AI-generated."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'I klippen ger de råd och förespråkar köp av olika läkemedel eller vitaminer men det är inte de riktiga läkarna'; 'Väl på den bedrägliga hemsidan luras målsägaren att uppge sina kortuppgifter vilket leder till att en betydligt högre summa dras och att även kortuppgifterna stjäls.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the police, the doctors in the clips appear to give advice and recommend medicines or vitamins; viewers who follow the link to a fraudulent site are induced to enter card details, a considerably larger sum is then charged and the card details are stolen.","causal_attribution":"Stockholm police statement describing the complaints."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'I AI-framställda reklamfilmer använder bedragare kända läkare för att komma över svenskars kortuppgifter. Bland profilerna som utnyttjats finns Anders Tegnell och Agnes Wold.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'Professorn Agnes Wold och den tidigare statsepidemiologen Anders Tegnell utnyttjas av bedragare som försöker lura till sig pengar via AI-skapade reklamfilmer, rapporterar Dagens Nyheter.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"Dagens Nyheter reported in June 2025 that fraudsters were using well-known doctors, among them the former state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell and the professor Agnes Wold, in AI-made advertising films to obtain card details.","causal_attribution":"Dagens Nyheter's report (Omni relays it); the AI description of these two doctors' clips is the newspaper's, read alongside the police statement on doctor videos."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'På Facebook finns falska filmer, där det låter och ser ut som att Anders Tegnell medverkar, med Folkhälsomyndighetens logotyp i bakgrunden.'; 'Folkhälsomyndigheten har polisanmält bedrägerierna, och kontaktat företaget Meta, som äger Facebook, med en rättslig begäran om borttagning av de falska filmerna.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Public Health Agency of Sweden said on 4 July 2025 that fake Facebook films in which the former state epidemiologist appears to speak, with the agency's logo in the background, advertise products said to help with diabetes or asthma; it reported the frauds to the police and sent Meta a legal request to remove the films.","causal_attribution":"The agency's own notice of its complaint and removal request."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Det känns hemskt tråkigt att mitt och myndighetens namn utnyttjas på det här viset, och att bedragare försöker sko sig på utsatta människor som vill ha hjälp med sina hälsoproblem'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Att man använder sig av mig för att lura dem ännu mer känns väldigt dåligt, säger Anders Tegnell.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The former state epidemiologist said it was very sad that his and the agency's name were being exploited and that fraudsters were trying to profit from vulnerable people seeking help for health problems.","causal_attribution":"His own statements (agency notice and SVT interview); one witness."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'– Jag blir vansinnig. Det här går tvärtemot allt jag står för, säger Wold.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'I Agnes Wolds fall ska det handla om preparat mot parasitinfektioner i blodådror.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"}],"assertion":"The professor told Dagens Nyheter of being furious and that the adverts went against everything the professor stands for; in the professor's case the clips reportedly promoted preparations against parasitic infections of the blood vessels.","causal_attribution":"The professor's statements to Dagens Nyheter, relayed by Expressen; one origin."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Polisen hade vid tillfället fått in ett tiotal anmälningar om klippen både från lurade privatpersoner och läkare som utnyttjats.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"SVT, citing Dagens Nyheter, reported that the police had at that time received about ten complaints about the clips, from both defrauded private individuals and doctors whose likeness was used.","causal_attribution":"Police figure given to Dagens Nyheter and relayed by SVT; approximate."},{"id":"c8","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Flera anmälningar har gjorts men utredningarna har lagts ner eftersom man bedömer att brotten begåtts i andra länder.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"Omni, relaying Dagens Nyheter, reported that several complaints had been made but the investigations had been closed because the offences were judged to have been committed in other countries.","causal_attribution":"Dagens Nyheter's account as relayed by Omni; the DN passage itself was behind the paywall."}],"effects":[{"label":"card details stolen and larger sums charged after viewers followed doctor-video adverts","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"depicted doctors' objection to the use of their likeness, and the agency's complaint to police","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://polisen.se/aktuellt/nyheter/stockholm/2025/juni/aibedragerier/","kind":"official_police_statement","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-16 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. Stockholm police region news item of 9 June 2025; the live URL returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-16 and the Internet Archive capture of 19 December 2025 was read in full.","independence_group":"stockholm-police-statement-9-jun-2025"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/nyheter-och-press/nyhetsarkiv/2025/juli/varning-for-falska-filmer/","kind":"government_statement","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-16 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. Public Health Agency of Sweden news notice of 4 July 2025, read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"public-health-agency-notice-4-jul-2025"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/bedragare-anvander-ai-tegnell-i-falsk-reklam","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-16 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. SVT Nyheter report of 5 July 2025 with its own interview of the former state epidemiologist; its police figures are relayed from Dagens Nyheter. Read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"svt-5-jul-2025"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.dn.se/sverige/bedragare-utnyttjar-kanda-lakare-for-att-lura-svenskar/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-16 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. Dagens Nyheter report of 19 June 2025; only the headline, standfirst and first quotation were readable before the paywall (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"dn-19-jun-2025"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://omni.se/wold-och-tegnell-anvands-av-bedragare-i-ai-filmer/a/Jb99EP","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-16 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. Omni summary of 19 June 2025 relaying the Dagens Nyheter report; read in full (HTTP 200). Same origin as the DN report.","independence_group":"dn-19-jun-2025"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/sverige/falsk-tegnell-i-ai-filmer-folkhalsomyndigheten-varnar/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"sv","translation_note":"Read in Swedish by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-16 and translated by the research agent (an AI) into English; no human translator or reviewer was involved. Expressen report of 4 July 2025 relaying the Public Health Agency notice and the Dagens Nyheter interviews; cited here only for the professor's quotation given to DN, so grouped with DN. Read in full (HTTP 200).","independence_group":"dn-19-jun-2025"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","health","privacy"],"unknowns":["How many people were defrauded and how much each lost; the police statement says several complaints and a relayed figure of about ten includes doctors' own complaints.","How the police established that the videos were AI-generated, and which tool was used.","Whether any defrauded complainant saw a video of the two named doctors specifically.","Whether Meta removed the films."],"geography":{"basis":"The complaints were made to the Stockholm police region, and the depicted doctors are a Swedish agency adviser and a Swedish professor. Dagens Nyheter, as relayed by Omni, says the offences were judged to have been committed in other countries, and no source places the adverts' operation, so event countries are left unknown.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["SE"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the investigating police state that fraudsters' AI-generated videos of doctors in social media adverts led complainants to fraudulent sites where their card details were taken and larger sums charged, and two depicted doctors and a government agency objected. Counts are partial and the AI attribution's technical basis is undisclosed.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-16"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Stockholm police, who received the complaints, state that the videos depicting doctors in the social media adverts were AI-generated by fraudsters, and that people who followed the adverts to fraudulent sites gave card details, were charged considerably more and had the details stolen. The Public Health Agency says films imitating the former state epidemiologist's appearance and voice are fake and reported them to police. Neither says how the AI generation was established, and no tool is named.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Sweden: police say AI-generated videos of well-known doctors in social media ads led people to fraudulent sites and card fraud; doctors object","summary":"In June 2025 the Stockholm police region warned that since the end of May it had received several complaints from people defrauded through social media adverts with AI-generated videos depicting doctors, who appeared to give advice and recommend medicines or vitamins. According to the police, viewers who followed the adverts to fraudulent websites were induced to enter card details, after which a considerably larger sum was charged and the details were stolen. Dagens Nyheter reported that the doctors used included the former state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell and the professor Agnes Wold, who told the paper of being furious. In July 2025 the Public Health Agency of Sweden said fake Facebook films imitating its former state epidemiologist were advertising products for diabetes or asthma, that it had reported them to the police and had asked Meta to remove them; he said it was sad that fraudsters were exploiting vulnerable people. Dagens Nyheter, as relayed by Omni, reported that the investigations were closed because the offences were judged to have been committed abroad. The number of defrauded people and their losses are not stated, and the police do not say how the AI generation was established.","incidentDate":"2025-05-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2025-06-09","aiSystem":"Unidentified tool used by fraudsters to generate videos imitating the appearance and voices of well-known Swedish doctors in social media adverts, described by the Stockholm police as AI-generated; no tool is named","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The Stockholm police say complainants who followed the adverts entered card details on fraudulent sites, were charged considerably larger sums and had the details stolen; the two depicted doctors objected publicly and the Public Health Agency reported the films to police.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"The two depicted doctors who objected are counted (the professor's statement to Dagens Nyheter; the former state epidemiologist's statements and the agency's complaint). The defrauded complainants are described only as several (police) and, in a relayed figure that also includes doctors, about ten complaints, so they are an unquantified remainder.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"SE","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://polisen.se/aktuellt/nyheter/stockholm/2025/juni/aibedragerier/","primarySourceLabel":"Swedish Police Authority (Stockholm), 9 June 2025: several complaints about AI frauds on social media","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-16T03:01:44.793594+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-16T03:01:44.793594+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake_advert","health_product_fraud","card_fraud","doctor_likeness","sweden"]},{"id":"2025-sault-reported-carney-deepfake-retiree-financial-loss","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body, web-reader line 153: first deception and ad description.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The report dates the retiree's first deception to July 2025 and links it to an AI-generated Carney Facebook investment video.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body, web-reader lines 151-159 and 176-178: loss, retiree response and friend's account.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The report describes nearly C$1 million lost and the retiree said she was devastated; a friend described missed bills and loss of her car.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body, web-reader lines 180-184: reported benefits and finances.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The outlet reports that retirement withdrawals also affected her eligibility for old-age and dental benefits.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."}],"effects":[{"label":"Reported near-C$1 million loss, distress and loss of the retiree's car","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.sootoday.com/city-police-beat/sault-retiree-lost-almost-a-million-dollars-in-crypto-scam-12367526","kind":"journalistic","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"sootoday-retiree-friend-interviews"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["The first day, scammer identity, generation tool and final financial recovery are unknown.","Later benefit restoration was being pursued, without an inspected final outcome."],"geography":{"basis":"The outlet identifies the retiree as a Sault Ste Marie, Ontario resident in Canada.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["CA"],"affected_person_countries":["CA"]},"publication":{"basis":"An inspected source describes a concrete person-level adverse experience connected to the specified AI use. Statements remain attributed, private identities are minimized, and unknown dates, counts and technical details are preserved.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-30"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The local report expressly connects this woman's first investment contact to an AI-generated Carney video. No advertisement or technical examination was inspected.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Sault Ste Marie retiree reports near-million-dollar loss after a Carney deepfake investment ad","summary":"SooToday interviewed an 86-year-old Sault Ste Marie retiree who was first deceived in July 2025 by a Facebook ad featuring a purported AI-generated Mark Carney investment video. The report describes nearly C$1 million lost over several months through retirement withdrawals, a mortgage and credit-card borrowing. She said she was devastated; her friend described missed bills and loss of her car. The report also says withdrawing retirement funds affected her benefit eligibility. Those later consequences are reported, without an independently inspected financial file.","incidentDate":"2025-07-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-06-03","aiSystem":"Reported AI-generated political impersonation video","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","aiCompany":"Unknown","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss","psychological_distress","property_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Reported near-C$1 million loss, distress and loss of the retiree's car","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"One retiree describes her own losses. The friend, lenders, and targets of other political scams are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"elderly","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.sootoday.com/city-police-beat/sault-retiree-lost-almost-a-million-dollars-in-crypto-scam-12367526","primarySourceLabel":"SooToday, 3 June 2026, retiree and friend interviews","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-30T01:11:35.982591+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:58:15.23893+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]},{"id":"2025-malta-reported-abela-deepfake-investment-loss","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body: witness first encounter with Abela video and subsequent investment contact.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The witness said she encountered the purported Abela deepfake on Facebook on 22 July 2025.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body: witness total payment statement following the police operation.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"She told the court that she paid €53,250, practically all her life savings.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Article body: plea and controlled delivery paragraphs.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The accused pleaded not guilty; police used counterfeit money in a later controlled delivery.","causal_attribution":"The inspected reporting describes this account. Claims remain attributed and causation is alleged; multiple reports of the same victim or police/court account are one independence group."}],"effects":[{"label":"Reported loss of €53,250, almost all the woman's life savings","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/court_and_police/137401/woman_lost_her_entire_lifesavings_in_deepfake_scam_featuring_robert_abela_","kind":"journalistic","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"original-account-aiid-1289"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://newsbook.com.mt/en/ukrainian-woman-accused-of-using-deepfake-pm-video-in-cryptocurrency-scam/","kind":"journalistic","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"original-account-aiid-1289"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance"],"unknowns":["The video-generation tool and first date of other impersonation videos are unknown.","No trial outcome or later recovery was inspected."],"geography":{"basis":"The cash handovers, police operation and court proceedings are explicitly in Malta. The woman's country of residence is not separately established.","court_countries":["MT"],"event_countries":["MT"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"An inspected source describes a concrete person-level adverse experience connected to the specified AI use. Statements remain attributed, private identities are minimized, and unknown dates, counts and technical details are preserved.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-30"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Court reports call the investment videos deepfakes. No video, forensic record or transcript was independently examined. A daughter's suspicion of ChatGPT messages is not adopted as a separate established AI use.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Woman tells Maltese court she lost €53,250 after a purported Robert Abela deepfake","summary":"A woman told a Maltese court that she first encountered a purported Robert Abela deepfake on Facebook on 22 July 2025. She said she subsequently paid €53,250, almost all her life savings, into a fraudulent investment scheme. The accused in the associated proceedings pleaded not guilty. The reports relay testimony and police allegations; they do not establish guilt or technically verify the videos.","incidentDate":"2025-07-22","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-10-07","aiSystem":"Reported AI-generated political impersonation videos","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","aiCompany":"Unknown","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Reported loss of €53,250, almost all the woman's life savings","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"One testifying woman is counted. The controlled €10,000 delivery was counterfeit money, not an additional personal loss.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/court_and_police/137401/woman_lost_her_entire_lifesavings_in_deepfake_scam_featuring_robert_abela_","primarySourceLabel":"MaltaToday, 7 October 2025, courtroom testimony","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-30T01:10:46.307537+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:58:00.725988+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]},{"id":"2025-david-rosenberg-reported-ai-impersonation-ads-whatsapp-investment-scam","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"ads appearing on Facebook and Instagram as early as March have promoted a fake investment program falsely listing him as its administrator.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The ads falsely claimed that the economist was the administrator of an investment scheme.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Mr. Rosenberg said all the investors were lured in by professional-looking ads posted to social media, which then redirected them to a WhatsApp group.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"David Rosenberg said that ads on Facebook and Instagram as early as March 2025 promoted a fake investment program falsely listing him as its administrator, and that people were directed to a WhatsApp group.","causal_attribution":"Rests on Rosenberg's account to The Globe and Mail, repeated by BrokersView."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"It’s the perils and pitfalls of AI technology","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"They’re having me on screen with my voice, which is purely fake","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"They are pretending to be me in print, picture, video on different social media","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"The image, taken from our article , was used to create a deepfake of him encouraging investors to join a bogus investment group promising “130 per cent + returns.”","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Rosenberg said the scammers used AI to impersonate him, including a fake voice and video, and a Globe and Mail columnist described a deepfake video advert of him.","causal_attribution":"The AI characterisation comes from Rosenberg's interview and the columnist's description of an advert the Globe newsroom became aware of days after its June article. The 18 June Globe article does not mention AI. It is not established that the ads seen by the investors below were AI-generated."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"After being added to a WhatsApp group called (03) Rosenberg Investment Strategy","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"estimated losing $16,000 over the course of the scam.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"an administrator of the group pretending to be David Rosenberg","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"An investor interviewed by The Globe and Mail estimated losing $16,000 after joining a WhatsApp group called \"(03) Rosenberg Investment Strategy\" in which an administrator pretended to be Rosenberg.","causal_attribution":"Self-reported loss in an interview. The investor is not named in public fields. Whether the ad this investor saw was AI-generated is not stated."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"One investor said she lost half a million dollars in just one week after clicking on an ad on Facebook and joining the WhatsApp group.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"In addition, a female victim lost $500,000 in a week.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Globe and Mail reported that another investor said the loss was half a million dollars in one week after clicking a Facebook ad and joining the WhatsApp group.","causal_attribution":"The Globe interviewed the investor and did not name her. BrokersView repeats the Globe report without independent sourcing. The amount is the investor's statement and is not verified."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Another victim alleged that he lost his life savings of $450,000 after falling for the scam.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The Globe and Mail reported that another victim alleged a loss of $450,000 in life savings and wrote so to Rosenberg Research.","causal_attribution":"Allegation in an e-mail to Rosenberg Research relayed by the Globe. Not verified."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"a sum Mr. Rosenberg said he believes exceeds $1-million, though the total amount is unknown.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"I think we’ve estimated that at least $5 million has been siphoned off from what they are doing to me","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Rosenberg estimated total losses of more than $1 million (Globe, 18 June 2025) and at least $5 million (BNN Bloomberg, 7 July 2025); the Globe said the total is unknown.","causal_attribution":"Estimates by Rosenberg. They are not counts of people and are not adopted as totals."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"tried unsuccessfully to stop the fraud by reporting it to authorities, including the local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"We haven’t had any victims report it","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Meta is not taking down these advertisements","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Rosenberg said he and his family reported the fraud to police, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and Meta without result, and a Toronto police detective said no victim had reported it to police.","causal_attribution":"Statements by Rosenberg and by a Toronto police detective, as relayed by outlets. The detective's statement says only that no victim had reported to police at that time."}],"effects":[{"label":"Investors reported financial losses after social media ads using the economist's name directed them to a WhatsApp investment group in which an administrator pretended to be the economist","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"Economist impersonated in investment ads and, according to the economist, in AI-made voice, picture and video, and said the scam was operating in the economist's name","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/article-david-rosenberg-says-pump-and-dump-scam-using-his-name-bilked-victims/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"rosenberg-account-globe-jun-2025"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.brokersview.com/news/fraudulent-ads-posing-as-renowned-economist-david-rosenberg-offer-bogus-investment-schemes-262890","kind":"trade_press","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Derived from the Globe and Mail article of 18 June 2025.","independence_group":"rosenberg-account-globe-jun-2025"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/investing/2025/07/07/pitfalls-of-ai-technology-rosenberg-speaks-out-on-financial-scam-using-his-likeness/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"rosenberg-bnn-interview-jul-2025"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/article-david-rosenberg-style-scams-are-spreading-but-we-cant-blame-investors/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"globe-columnist-observation-jul-2025"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["The three losses ($16,000, $500,000, $450,000) are self-reported and unverified. No investor has filed a police complaint according to the Toronto police detective quoted on 18 June 2025.","It is not established that the ads the investors saw were AI-generated. The AI descriptions are from Rosenberg and a Globe columnist later in July 2025.","BNN Bloomberg says victims \"followed advice in videos recommending stocks on social media platforms\". That is BNN's paraphrase and does not say the videos were AI-made.","The scam started in March 2025 per Rosenberg and continued into July 2025 (BNN Bloomberg, 7 July). No end date is reported.","Rosenberg's total estimates ($1 million, then $5 million) are unquantified and no count of victims is given beyond \"dozens\" of people reported to have contacted Rosenberg Research.","The Globe did not name the investors reporting the $500,000 and $450,000 losses because they raised safety and reputation concerns. The investor reporting $16,000 is named by the Globe and is not named here.","The AIID entry also refers to other impersonation cases discussed in a separate Globe article of 22 June 2025 (not cited here). Those are separate events."],"geography":{"basis":"The inspected articles mention Toronto police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre in relation to reports, but do not state where the ads were shown or where the investors live. No country is inferred from the outlet, the police force or the speaker. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"The Globe and Mail (18 June 2025), BrokersView (derived), BNN Bloomberg (7 July 2025) and a Globe and Mail column (17 July 2025). The economist spoke publicly under his own name and is named. The investors are not named. Investor losses and the AI characterisation are reported and unverified. Four persons are counted as a documented minimum.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Rosenberg told BNN Bloomberg that the voice and video used to impersonate him were fake and AI-generated, and a Globe and Mail column of 17 July 2025 describes a deepfake video advert of him. The 18 June Globe article about the investors does not mention AI, so AI involvement in the ads the investors saw is not established.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Economist David Rosenberg reports impersonation in Facebook and Instagram ads that directed investors to a WhatsApp investment scam","summary":"Economist David Rosenberg told The Globe and Mail (18 June 2025) that ads on Facebook and Instagram since March 2025 promoted a fake investment program listing him as its administrator and redirected people to a WhatsApp group. The Globe reported that one investor interviewed estimated losing $16,000, another said she lost $500,000 in a week, and a third alleged losing $450,000 in life savings. Rosenberg told BNN Bloomberg on 7 July 2025 that the scammers used a fake AI voice and video of him, and a Globe column of 17 July 2025 described a deepfake video advert. Losses are self-reported and unverified. The AI characterisation comes from Rosenberg and a July Globe column, and the June Globe article on the investors does not mention AI. A Toronto police detective said no victim had reported to police.","incidentDate":"2025-03-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-06-18","aiSystem":"Unspecified AI voice and video generation tools (reported by Rosenberg, not identified)","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The Globe and Mail reports self-reported losses of $16,000, $500,000 and $450,000 by three investors who joined a WhatsApp group promoted through ads using Rosenberg's name. Rosenberg estimated larger totals. None of the amounts is verified.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":4,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Four persons counted: the three investors whose losses are reported in the Globe article (two interviewed by the Globe, one by e-mail to Rosenberg Research) and Rosenberg, who is impersonated. Rosenberg's \"dozens\" of contacts and his loss estimates are not counted because they do not identify harmed persons.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/article-david-rosenberg-says-pump-and-dump-scam-using-his-name-bilked-victims/","primarySourceLabel":"The Globe and Mail, 18 June 2025","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T14:02:48.434404+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:00.559119+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]},{"id":"2025-michael-hewson-reported-ai-video-advert-whatsapp-investment-group","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"A fake video using AI to pose as the host of the Good Money Guide Podcast circulated on Facebook and Instagram this week, attempting to lure users into joining a Whatsapp group.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"a fake AI video advert was published on Facebook and Instagram that directed users to a scam WhatsApp group.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A video advert using AI to pose as Michael Hewson, host of the Good Money Guide Podcast, circulated on Facebook and Instagram in March 2025 and directed users to an investment WhatsApp group.","causal_attribution":"City AM and Good Money Guide report that the video was AI-generated. Hewson said on X that the advert had nothing to do with Hewson. No forensic analysis or tool is named, so AI generation is a reported characterisation. The Good Money Guide article describes Hewson as the host of the Good Money Guide Podcast and says the advert was reported to Meta."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"It’s been reported and I’m taking it up with Meta","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Please let it be known this is nothing to do with me.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"needless to say I’m very angry about it.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Hewson said on X that the advert had nothing to do with Hewson, that it had been reported and was being taken up with Meta, and that Hewson was very angry about it.","causal_attribution":"Hewson is quoted by City AM from an X post. The statement records Hewson's reaction and denial of involvement and does not establish any consequence beyond the use of the analyst's identity."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"the sponsored post has now been viewed 29,000 times, up from 2,000 views when we first reported it as a scam.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Good Money Guide reported that, three days after it reported the sponsored advert to Meta, the advert was still up and had been viewed 29,000 times, up from 2,000 when first reported.","causal_attribution":"This is the publisher's own count of views of one advert and is not a count of people harmed. Whether any viewer joined the WhatsApp group or lost money is not reported."}],"effects":[{"label":"Analyst impersonated in an AI-generated investment advert on Facebook and Instagram; analyst said publicly the advert had nothing to do with them and that they were very angry","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cityam.com/top-city-analyst-cloned-in-whatsapp-ai-scam/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"hewson-x-post-and-goodmoneyguide-report"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://goodmoneyguide.com/investing/whatsapp-investing-scams/","kind":"organisation_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"hewson-x-post-and-goodmoneyguide-report"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","everyday_life"],"unknowns":["No person is reported to have joined the WhatsApp group or lost money. The AIAAIC entry refers to potential financial losses of victims, which no inspected source states.","The exact date the advert first ran is not stated. City AM is dated Friday 21 March 2025 and says the video circulated \"this week\". The Good Money Guide page carries the date 3rd June 2025 and says the advert was reported \"three days\" before writing. Whether that page was written in March and dated later, or describes a second advert, is not established.","The Times report listed by AIAAIC is behind a bot wall (page returned a 100-character stub) and was not read.","City AM reports an earlier March 2024 statement by Hewson about WhatsApp messages offering crypto investment services in Hewson's name. No AI involvement is stated for that earlier matter, and it is not part of this case."],"geography":{"basis":"The inspected sources do not state a country for the advert, its audience or Hewson. The AIAAIC entry lists the UK, which is archive metadata and is not used. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"City AM (21 March 2025) and a Good Money Guide article report an AI video advert (the Good Money Guide page is dated 3 June 2025 and may describe the same or a later advert) and one X post by the impersonated analyst, who spoke publicly under their own name. Claims are reported. The case rests on the impersonated analyst as the harmed person. No defrauded victim is reported. Event month is taken from the City AM date line.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"City AM and Good Money Guide describe the video advert as AI-generated. Neither names a tool. The video was not viewed by the reviewer.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Analyst Michael Hewson reportedly impersonated in AI-generated video advert directing users to WhatsApp investment group","summary":"City AM (dated 21 March 2025) reported that a fake video using AI to pose as Michael Hewson, host of the Good Money Guide Podcast, circulated on Facebook and Instagram that week and directed users to a WhatsApp group with promises of undervalued investments. Hewson said on X that the advert had nothing to do with Hewson, that it had been reported and was being taken up with Meta, and that Hewson was very angry. A Good Money Guide article dated 3 June 2025 (which may describe the same advert or a later one) reported that its report to Meta had not led to removal three days later and that the sponsored post had been viewed 29,000 times. No person is reported to have joined the group or lost money.","incidentDate":"2025-03-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-03-21","aiSystem":"Unspecified AI tool (reported by the outlets, not identified)","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["other_material_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Hewson said publicly that the advert had nothing to do with Hewson and that Hewson was very angry about it; the harm is the use of the analyst's name, credentials and an AI-generated likeness to solicit investors. City AM and Good Money Guide report no defrauded person.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"One person counted: the impersonated analyst, who spoke publicly. No defrauded person is reported. The 29,000 views are views of an advert and are not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cityam.com/top-city-analyst-cloned-in-whatsapp-ai-scam/","primarySourceLabel":"City AM, Top City analyst cloned in AI deepfake scam, 21 March 2025","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T14:02:45.192576+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:09.963493+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]},{"id":"2026-ahmedabad-ai-morphed-images","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'for allegedly creating multiple fake social media accounts and uploading AI-generated morphed obscene images and videos of an Ahmedabad woman and her mother after she rejected his friendship request, according to a statement issued by the cybercrime police'; 'between Dec 2025 and April 2026'; 'forensic examination of the accused’s phone revealed the existence of eight to ten fake social media accounts created in the complainant’s name'; 'generated more than 100 AI-morphed images of the victim using various online tools and websites'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'created at least three separate fake Instagram IDs and a YouTube channel in her name and uploaded obscene morphed photos of herself and her mother'; 'He then searched “AI Remove Clothes” on Google and uploaded these photographs on various websites. Using AI tools, he created morphed nude photographs and nude videos and uploaded them on these fake IDs. He also wrote obscene text and mentally harassed the complainant.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'uploaded over 100 AI-generated nude photos and videos of her and her mother on social media platforms and YouTube channels'; 'He searched for AI Remove Clothes tools on Google and used different websites to create morphed nude images and videos'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'In total, he created over a hundred fake videos and images related to the victim, and within those six months, he created 8 to 10 fake social media accounts impersonating the complainant.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"'Eight to 10 more fake social media accounts in the complainant's name were found on his mobile phone. Investigation revealed that the accused had created over 100 AI-morphed pornographic images'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Between December 2025 and April 2026 the accused, after the woman declined his friendship, created fake accounts in her name (initially three Instagram accounts and a YouTube channel; eight to ten found across X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube on forensic examination of his phone), downloaded photographs of her and her mother, used \"AI remove clothes\" websites to produce morphed obscene images and videos of the two women, and posted them on the fake accounts with obscene captions; police say more than 100 AI-morphed images of the complainant were found (India Today and ANI put the figure as over 100 photos and videos of her and her mother).","causal_attribution":"Police allegations from the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch (written statement, DCP briefing, ACP interview, officer quoted by ThePrint); the accused has not been tried."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Based on the complaint, the person was booked in an FIR on April 6.'; 'A month-and-a-half later, the team apprehended'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'registered under Sections 78(2) and 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 66(C) and 67 of the Information Technology Act'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'was arrested by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch after investigators tracked him through technical surveillance and human intelligence inputs'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'tracked him down in Delhi and arrested him on Wednesday under its new initiative, Mission Cyber Rakshika'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'A police team subsequently travelled to Delhi and arrested him there.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The woman complained to the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police Station; an FIR was registered on 6 April 2026 under Sections 78(2) and 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 66(C) and 67 of the Information Technology Act; police traced the accused through technical surveillance and human intelligence and arrested him at his home in north-east Delhi (announced 28 May 2026, the arrest reported as the previous day) under the Branch's \"Mission Cyber Rakshika\" initiative.","causal_attribution":"Police statements; the FIR date is reported by the Indian Express only."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'He told her that he would ensure he reports these accounts, so nobody troubles her. He was just manipulating her, and trying to gain her sympathy,” said an officer probing the matter.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s8"},{"locator":"'After doing this, he would contact the victim, assuring her that he would get her account reinstated. This went on for a total of five to six months'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"}],"assertion":"The woman had confided in the accused about the fake accounts; police say he told her to keep quiet, claimed he was reporting the accounts and would get them removed, and manipulated her for sympathy for five to six months before the complaint.","causal_attribution":"Police officers quoted by ThePrint and the DCP quoted by ANI."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The woman claimed she was “mentally harassed and defamed in the society, since her nude photographs and videos morphed with AI, with obscene texts written over it, are being shared online (sic),” a senior police officer from Ahmedabad Crime Branch’s Cyber Crime unit told ThePrint.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s8"},{"locator":"'Police said the posts caused deep mental trauma and public humiliation for both the woman and her mother.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"}],"assertion":"The complainant told police she was mentally harassed and defamed in society by the morphed images; police said the posts caused deep mental trauma and public humiliation for her and her mother.","causal_attribution":"The complainant's account as relayed by police; no independent impact evidence."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'He also utilised AI to generate videos and explicit images, not only of the victim but also of her mother and maternal aunt, and posted them on these accounts'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"'uploaded obscene morphed photos of herself and her mother'","relation":"context","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The DCP said the AI images also depicted the woman's maternal aunt; the written police statement and the other reports mention only the woman and her mother.","causal_attribution":"DCP briefing to ANI only."}],"effects":[{"label":"AI-morphed obscene images and videos of a woman and her mother (more than 100 images found) posted for months on fake accounts impersonating the woman","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"the complainant reported mental harassment and defamation; police said both women suffered trauma and public humiliation","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/delhi-man-posts-100-obscene-ai-created-photos-of-ahmedabad-woman/articleshow/131377083.cms","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-19 (Times of India, Ahmedabad, TNN, 29 May 2026 edition, live). Reports the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch statement.","independence_group":"cyber-crime-branch-statement"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/delhi-man-ai-morph-pictures-videos-gujarat-woman-social-media-10712944/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-19 from a Wayback Machine capture (live page 403). Indian Express Ahmedabad, 28 May 2026; quotes the Cyber Crime Branch statement verbatim and gives the FIR date.","independence_group":"cyber-crime-branch-statement"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.etvbharat.com/en/state/gujarat-cyber-crime-branch-arrests-man-for-uploading-obscene-photos-videos-of-woman-and-her-mother-on-social-media-enn26052806767","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-19 (ETV Bharat, 28 May 2026, live). Same statement, with the investigating inspector quoted.","independence_group":"cyber-crime-branch-statement"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://english.gujaratsamachar.com/news/gujarat/over-100-ai-morphed-photos-fake-idsdelhi-man-held-for-online-harassment-of-ahmedabad-woman-mother-32482827453","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-19 (Gujarat Samachar English, 28 May 2026, live). IANS wire text of the same statement, also carried by The Statesman, Asia News Network, Mangalorean and others.","independence_group":"cyber-crime-branch-statement"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/delhi-priest-creates-nudes-of-woman-using-ai-after-she-refuses-to-be-friends-on-instagram-11558612","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-19 from a Wayback Machine capture (live page 403). NDTV, 28 May 2026, citing IANS; gives the arrest day.","independence_group":"cyber-crime-branch-statement"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/ai-generated-nude-photos-delhi-man-held-ahmedabad-influencer-mother-2918567-2026-05-28","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-19 (India Today, bylined, 28 May 2026, live). Quotes the Cyber Crime Branch ACP directly.","independence_group":"india-today-acp"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/ahmedabad-police-under-mission-cyber-rakshika-arrests-27-year-old-delhi-based-religious-preacher-for-creating-fake-profile-of-gujarat-woman20260529083631/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-19 (ANI, 29 May 2026, live). On-camera briefing by the Ahmedabad DCP; copied by Asianet Newsable.","independence_group":"ani-dcp-briefing"},{"id":"s8","url":"https://theprint.in/india/gujarat-womans-spiritual-friend-turns-stalker-held-for-posting-her-morphed-photos-online-for-months/2944720/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-09-19 from a Wayback Machine capture of 1 June 2026 (live page answers a JavaScript challenge). ThePrint, bylined, 29 May 2026; quotes a senior Cyber Crime officer and investigators.","independence_group":"theprint-officer"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["relationships","privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["The AI websites or tools used are not named.","The complainant's age: 24 (Indian Express) or 21 (ThePrint).","Whether the maternal aunt was depicted (DCP briefing to ANI only).","Whether the more-than-100 figure counts images only (police statement) or images and videos (India Today, ANI).","Any charge sheet, bail decision or trial outcome; nothing later than 1 June 2026 was found.","How far the material spread and whether the platforms removed it."],"geography":{"basis":"Complainant in Ahmedabad, Gujarat; FIR at the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police Station; accused arrested in north-east Delhi (all sources). No court proceeding is reported in the inspected sources.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IN"],"affected_person_countries":["IN"]},"publication":{"basis":"Restored under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact and impersonation case with identified (unnamed) depicted victims, a registered FIR and an arrest. Four police briefings read across separate outlets, all originating with the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch; claims recorded as reported. Original ID and first-publication timestamp preserved; incident dates corrected to the harassment period.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-19"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Cyber Crime Branch statement says the accused searched \"AI Remove Clothes\", uploaded the photographs to such websites and produced morphed images and videos with AI tools; police say forensic examination of his phone found more than 100 AI-morphed images. The specific tools are not named and the finding is a police allegation pending trial. The artifacts depicted the women and the fake accounts impersonated the complainant; no AI system interacted with them.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Ahmedabad, Gujarat: a 27-year-old Delhi man was arrested for posting AI-morphed obscene images and videos of a young woman and her mother (more than 100 images found) on fake accounts in her name after she declined his friendship, while posing as the friend reporting the fake accounts for her","summary":"On 28 May 2026 the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch announced the arrest in north-east Delhi of a 27-year-old man who posts religious discourse videos online. Police allege that after meeting a young Ahmedabad woman with a public social-media profile through religious conversations on Instagram and being refused friendship, he stalked her online from December 2025 to April 2026, created fake accounts in her name (three Instagram accounts and a YouTube channel at first; eight to ten across X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube were found on his phone), downloaded photographs of her and her mother, used websites found by searching \"AI remove clothes\" to generate morphed obscene images and videos of the two women, and posted them with obscene captions to damage her reputation; investigators say more than 100 AI-morphed images of the complainant were found. Officers told ThePrint and ANI that she had confided in him about the accounts and that he told her to keep quiet and claimed to be reporting the accounts and getting hers reinstated. She complained to the Cyber Crime Police Station; an FIR was registered on 6 April 2026 under BNS Sections 78(2) and 356(2) and IT Act Sections 66(C) and 67, and the accused was traced through technical surveillance and arrested under the Branch's \"Mission Cyber Rakshika\" campaign. The complainant said she was mentally harassed and defamed; the DCP said the images also depicted her maternal aunt. Further investigation was under way; no charge sheet or court outcome was found.","incidentDate":"2025-12-01","incidentEndDate":"2026-04-06","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-05-28","aiSystem":"Web-based AI \"remove clothes\" image-manipulation tools found via Google search (not named); used to morph photographs into obscene images and videos","aiProduct":"Unidentified image and video tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress","reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A young woman and her mother were depicted in AI-morphed obscene images and videos (more than 100 images found by police) posted for months on fake accounts impersonating the woman; she told police she was mentally harassed and defamed, and police said both women suffered trauma and public humiliation. The accused was arrested and booked; the case is pending.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Two depicted people are reported in every chain: the complainant (also impersonated) and her mother. The DCP told ANI that a maternal aunt was also depicted, which no other source repeats, so the count is a documented minimum of 2. The accused is not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/delhi-man-posts-100-obscene-ai-created-photos-of-ahmedabad-woman/articleshow/131377083.cms","primarySourceLabel":"The Times of India (Ahmedabad), 29 May 2026: Delhi man creates fake accounts and uploads 100 obscene AI-generated photos of Ahmedabad woman (Cyber Crime Branch statement)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-06-15T07:52:26.434751+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:23.789885+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake","ai-undressing","ncii","impersonation","stalking","harassment","india","gujarat","ahmedabad","arrest","depicted"]},{"id":"2025-wongbandue-meta-ai-death","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"death","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Opening account and “Working his way up”.","relation":"supports","source_id":"report"}],"assertion":"Reuters reports a fatal fall during the attempted journey.","causal_attribution":"This source does not establish that AI caused the death."},{"id":"interaction","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"“Flirty messages”.","relation":"supports","source_id":"report"}],"assertion":"The report describes meeting invitations, claims of being real and an AI disclosure.","causal_attribution":"This source does not establish that AI caused the death."}],"effects":[{"label":"Reuters reports a fatal fall during the attempted journey.","claim_id":"death","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"report","url":"https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/international/elderly-man-dies-after-being-deceived-by-ai-chatbot-he-thought-was-a-woman-5154978","kind":"reported_feature","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English; no translation. Reuters article inspected through the web reader on The Citizen, including its family account, transcript discussion and company response. Local extraction failed; web-reuters-copies.json retains the alternate reading route.","independence_group":"wongbandue_reuters"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["own_use"],"contexts":["health","relationships"],"unknowns":["Independent causal assessment remains unavailable.","Republications of Reuters are one reporting chain."],"geography":{"basis":"The report places the fall in New Jersey. New York was the intended destination.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"The inspected evidence describes a concrete adverse event and case-specific chatbot interactions. Allegations, source dependence and limits on causal inference remain explicit.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-05"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The family attributes the journey to the chatbot’s invitations. Reuters reviewed the exchanges.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"metadataReview":{"version":1,"geography":{"basis":"The report places the fall in New Jersey. New York was the intended destination.","evidence":[{"kind":"source_body","locator":"The report places the fall in New Jersey. New York was the intended destination.","location":"https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/international/elderly-man-dies-after-being-deceived-by-ai-chatbot-he-thought-was-a-woman-5154978","supports":["event_countries"],"countries":["US"]},{"kind":"source_body","locator":"The report places the fall in New Jersey. New York was the intended destination.","location":"https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/international/elderly-man-dies-after-being-deceived-by-ai-chatbot-he-thought-was-a-woman-5154978","supports":["affected_person_countries"],"countries":["US"]}],"court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"unresolved":["No court country is established in the inspected material."],"reviewed_on":"2026-10-05","source_reviews":[{"url":"https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/international/elderly-man-dies-after-being-deceived-by-ai-chatbot-he-thought-was-a-woman-5154978","notes":"English; no translation. Reuters article inspected through the web reader on The Citizen, including its family account, transcript discussion and company response. Local extraction failed; web-reuters-copies.json retains the alternate reading route.","access":"read","language":"en"}]},"name":"Family links a fatal journey to invitations from a Meta chatbot","summary":"Reuters reports that a New Jersey man fell on 25 March 2025 while travelling to meet a Meta chatbot he believed was a person. He died on 28 March. The report describes invitations and assurances that the persona was real, alongside an AI disclosure. Meta declined comment on the death.","incidentDate":"2025-03-25","incidentEndDate":"2025-03-28","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"cumulative_relationship","reportedDate":"2025-08-14","aiSystem":"Meta AI’s Big sis Billie persona on Facebook Messenger, identified in Reuters reporting","aiProduct":"Meta AI (reported)","aiCompany":"Meta Platforms Inc.","severity":"critical","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["death","physical_injury","impaired_judgment"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Reuters reports that a New Jersey man fell on 25 March 2025 while travelling to meet a Meta chatbot he believed was a person. He died on 28 March. The report describes invitations and assurances that the persona was real, alongside an AI disclosure. Meta declined comment on the death.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"inward","causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":1,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Counts the one deceased user in the Reuters account. Causal attribution remains separate.","victimAgeRange":"elderly","jurisdiction":"US-NJ","platformType":"assistant","outcomeType":"media_coverage","outcomeStatus":"unknown","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/international/elderly-man-dies-after-being-deceived-by-ai-chatbot-he-thought-was-a-woman-5154978","primarySourceLabel":"Reuters / The Citizen — 14 August 2025","firstPublishedAt":"2026-01-12T00:33:56.539921+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T14:55:46.487025+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["chatbot"]}]}