{ "meta": { "exportedAt": "2026-09-22T14:38:17.352Z", "formatVersion": 2, "selection": { "q": "impersonation", "system": "", "harm": "", "context": "", "country": "", "role": "", "relation": "", "evidence": "", "year": "", "response": "", "severity": "", "verification": "", "view": "incidents", "sort": "added" }, "totalIncidents": 14, "coverage": { "cases": 14, "countries": 8, "languages": 6, "unknownLocation": 0, "locationPending": 0, "unknownLanguage": 0, "unknownDate": 3, "lawsuits": 0, "regulatory": 8, "minors": 1, "coreRelations": 12, "contextualRelations": 0, "mixedRelations": 0, "unknownRelations": 2, "relationPending": 1, "relationUnknown": 1 }, "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": "NOPE Incident Tracker", "url": "https://nope.net/incidents", "license": "CC BY 4.0" }, "incidents": [ { "id": "2026-campo-grande-ms-ai-voice-clone-brother-car-purchase-pix-fraud", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'os golpistas usaram informações sobre sua família e uma voz clonada para fazê-lo acreditar que estava negociando um automóvel com a ajuda do próprio irmão'; 'Márcio passou o contato do irmão para que ele pudesse verificar o carro presencialmente. Foi a partir desse momento que os criminosos passaram a se fantasiar do familiar'; '\"Entraram em contato comigo como se fosse o meu irmão, falando que já viu o carro, mandou vídeo e que estava tudo certo\"'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "After the workshop owner passed his brother's contact to a supposed seller in Ponta Porã, the fraudsters contacted him as if they were his brother, saying the brother had seen the car, sending a video and confirming that everything was in order; he says they used information about his family and a cloned voice.", "causal_attribution": "The victim's account as reported by G1 MS." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Acreditando que conversava com o parente, Márcio fez um Pix de aproximadamente R$ 28 mil para pagar pelo veículo. Logo depois, os criminosos bloquearam o contato'; 'acionou o banco pelo aplicativo e solicitou a contestação da transferência por meio do Mecanismo Especial de Devolução (MED) do Banco Central. Após quase três horas de atendimento, registro presencial e apresentação do boletim de ocorrência, ele conseguiu reaver cerca de 20% do valor perdido'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Believing he was talking to his brother, he made a Pix transfer of about R$28,000 for the car, after which the criminals blocked contact; he contested the transfer through the Central Bank's return mechanism and recovered about 20 percent after nearly three hours, an in-person registration and a police report.", "causal_attribution": "The victim's account; the loss is attributed to the fraudsters." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'a mãe recebeu mensagens, um áudio e um vídeo de uma pessoa que se passava pela estudante'; 'Na gravação com a voz clonada, o criminoso afirmava que já estava no estabelecimento, que havia vistoriado o carro e o mecânico responsável também teria aprovado o veículo. A suposta Isabela autorizava, então, o pagamento via Pix'; 'A mãe, contudo, decidiu confirmar a informação diretamente com a filha. Foi quando descobriu que Isabela não estava no local e o áudio havia sido gerado por inteligência artificial'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "In a second case, a medical student's mother in Dourados received messages, an audio and a video from someone posing as her daughter, in a cloned voice, saying she had inspected an HB20 at the family's trusted workshop and authorising the Pix; the mother checked directly with her daughter, found she was not there and that the audio had been AI-generated, and did not pay.", "causal_attribution": "The student's account as reported by G1 MS; no loss occurred." }, { "id": "c4", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'afirmou que a unidade ainda não catalogou casos idênticos com o uso específico de clonagem de voz, o que sinaliza a novidade do modus operandi'; 'A reportagem questionou a Polícia Civil de Mato Grosso do Sul sobre esse tipo de crime, mas não obteve retorno até a última atualização desta reportagem'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "A prosecutor of the Mato Grosso do Sul Public Ministry said the unit had not yet catalogued identical cases with voice cloning and recommended registering police reports even for attempts; G1 said the Civil Police had not responded to its questions.", "causal_attribution": "Prosecutor's statement to G1 MS." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "about R$28,000 transferred by Pix after voice notes in a brother's AI-cloned voice 'confirmed' a car purchase; about a fifth recovered", "claim_id": "c2", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://g1.globo.com/ms/mato-grosso-do-sul/noticia/2026/09/19/novo-golpe-do-pix-usa-voz-clonada-de-familiares-para-enganar-vitimas-em-negociacoes-de-carros.ghtml", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "pt", "translation_note": "Read live in Portuguese on 2026-09-21 (HTTP 200; bylined Ana Karla Flores and Geane Beserra, g1 MS and TV Morena, 19 September 2026). Based on the two families' accounts and statements from a lawyer and a prosecutor; quotations translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "g1-ms-2026-09-19" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance", "everyday_life", "relationships" ], "unknowns": [ "The date of the fraud and the police report are not stated.", "The voice-cloning tool is not identified and no police or technical confirmation of the AI element is reported.", "The exact amount transferred and recovered ('aproximadamente R$ 28 mil'; 'cerca de 20%') are approximate in the report.", "How the fraudsters obtained the brother's voice, and whether the seller's advertisement or accounts were traced, is not reported.", "No arrest or later coverage was found." ], "geography": { "basis": "Victim's workshop in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul; the car was supposedly in Ponta Porã; the second targeted family is in Campo Grande and Dourados (G1 MS). Police report registered; no court proceeding.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "BR" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "BR" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation-fraud case with a concrete financial loss reported by the victim in a bylined regional report that also documents a police report and the bank's partial return. One source read in full; claims recorded as reported and attributed. The victims are named in the report and are not named here.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-21" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The victim and G1 MS describe the audios as a cloned voice produced with artificial intelligence, and G1 publishes images of the audio messages; in the second case the mother found the audio 'havia sido gerado por inteligência artificial'. No police or technical confirmation of the AI element is reported and the tool is not identified.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul: a workshop owner paid about R$28,000 by Pix for a car after messages and voice notes in his brother's AI-cloned voice 'confirmed' the vehicle; a second family avoided the same fraud by checking directly with their daughter", "summary": "A businessman who owns a workshop in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, found a car advertised at a market price by a seller who said he was in Ponta Porã, the businessman's home town; he passed his brother's contact so the brother could inspect the car. The fraudsters then contacted him as if they were his brother, saying he had seen the car, sending a video and confirming everything was in order; believing he was speaking to his brother, he made a Pix transfer of about R$28,000, after which the contact was blocked. He told G1 MS and TV Morena that the criminals used information about his family and a cloned voice. Guided by his wife, he contested the transfer through the Central Bank's special return mechanism and, after nearly three hours, a police report and an in-person registration, recovered about 20 percent. In a second case reported alongside, a medical student's mother in Dourados received messages, a voice note and a video from someone posing as her daughter, in a cloned voice, approving payment for an HB20 she was buying in Campo Grande; the mother checked directly with her daughter and discovered the audio had been AI-generated before any money was sent. A state prosecutor said his unit had not yet catalogued identical voice-cloning cases and urged victims to file police reports; the Civil Police did not respond to G1's questions. The date of the fraud is not reported.", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "unknown", "exposurePattern": "single_interaction", "reportedDate": "2026-09-19", "aiSystem": "AI voice cloning (tool not identified)", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "The workshop owner lost about R$28,000 in a Pix transfer made after voice notes and messages in his brother's AI-cloned voice 'confirmed' the car purchase, recovering about a fifth through the bank's return mechanism (his account to G1 MS and TV Morena).", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "One victim who made the transfer (G1 MS). The brother whose voice was imitated reports no loss; the student and her mother avoided the fraud before paying and are not counted. Exact 1.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "BR", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "media_coverage", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://g1.globo.com/ms/mato-grosso-do-sul/noticia/2026/09/19/novo-golpe-do-pix-usa-voz-clonada-de-familiares-para-enganar-vitimas-em-negociacoes-de-carros.ghtml", "primarySourceLabel": "G1 MS and TV Morena, 19 September 2026: Voz clonada por IA ajuda golpistas a aplicar golpe de R$ 28 mil em compra de carro em Mato Grosso do Sul", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-21T04:11:23.184568+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "voice-cloning", "impersonation", "car-purchase-fraud", "pix", "brazil", "mato-grosso-do-sul", "campo-grande", "financial-loss" ] }, { "id": "2026-picos-piaui-ai-voice-clone-uncle-car-purchase-fraud", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Os golpistas utilizaram foto e áudios com voz clonada por inteligência artificial para se passar pelo tio'; 'iniciou negociação na segunda-feira (10), após encontrar um anúncio na internet com venda em Fortaleza (CE)'; 'Eles usaram a foto do familiar do influenciador e enviaram áudios que imitavam a voz dele'; 'usando algum tipo de inteligência artificial e a voz idêntica'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "On 10-11 August 2026 fraudsters contacted the influencer from a different number using his uncle's photo and sent audios imitating the uncle's voice, generated with AI, to pose as the uncle who was supposed to inspect a car advertised for sale in Fortaleza.", "causal_attribution": "Victim's account as reported by G1." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'perdeu mais de R$ 56 mil ao cair em um golpe durante a compra de um carro'; 'o golpista afirmou que o carro estava em boas condições e o orientou a realizar a transferência bancária'; 'entrou em contato com o número verdadeiro do tio descobriu que havia sido vítima de um golpe. O prejuízo ultrapassou R$ 56 mil'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Believing the audios came from his uncle, he made the bank transfer; the loss exceeded R$56,000, and he discovered the fraud when he called the uncle's real number.", "causal_attribution": "Victim's account; the loss is attributed to the fraudsters." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Um boletim de ocorrência foi registrado na terça-feira (11) e o caso é investigado pela Delegacia Especializada em Crimes contra o Patrimônio (Depatri)'; 'também tenta, junto aos bancos, o reembolso do valor pago'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "A police report was registered on Tuesday 11 August 2026; the case is under investigation by Depatri; the victim is seeking reimbursement from the banks.", "causal_attribution": "G1 report; the police unit had not responded to G1." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "a bank transfer of more than R$56,000 lost after audios in a relative's AI-cloned voice 'confirmed' the purchase", "claim_id": "c2", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://g1.globo.com/pi/piaui/noticia/2026/08/13/influenciador-golpe-com-voz-clonada.ghtml", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "pt", "translation_note": "Read live in Portuguese on 2026-09-20 (HTTP 200). Based on the victim's social-media account and an interview with G1; quotations translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "g1-piaui-2026-08-13" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance", "everyday_life" ], "unknowns": [ "The voice-cloning tool is not identified and no police or technical confirmation of the AI element is reported.", "The exact amount beyond 'more than R$56,000' and whether any money was recovered are not stated.", "Whether the uncle's number or accounts were compromised, or how the fraudsters obtained his photo and voice, is not reported.", "No later coverage of the investigation was found.", "An embedded video title on the G1 page gives the loss as R$ 50 mil; the article text says more than R$ 56 mil, which this record follows." ], "geography": { "basis": "Victim in Picos, Piauí; the car was advertised in Fortaleza, Ceará, where the impersonated uncle lives; police report with the Piauí Depatri (G1 Piauí). No court proceeding.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "BR" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "BR" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation-fraud case with a concrete financial loss reported by the victim in a public account and a registered police report. One source (G1 Piauí) read in full; claims recorded as reported and attributed. The victim is a public influencer who reported the case under his own name; he is not named in this record.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-20" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The victim states that the fraudsters sent audios imitating his uncle's voice 'usando algum tipo de inteligência artificial e a voz idêntica' together with the uncle's photo; G1 reports this as his account. No police or technical confirmation of the AI element is reported and the tool is unknown.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Picos, Piauí, Brazil: a digital influencer lost more than R$56,000 when fraudsters sent him audio messages in his uncle's AI-cloned voice 'confirming' a car he was buying in Fortaleza", "summary": "On Monday 10 August 2026 a digital influencer from Picos, in the centre-south of Piauí, began negotiating a car advertised online for sale in Fortaleza (Ceará), where an uncle of his lives, and asked the sellers to take the car to the uncle so he could inspect it. On Tuesday 11 August a contact using a different number but the uncle's photo sent him audio messages in a voice identical to his uncle's, generated with artificial intelligence, saying the car was in good condition and telling him to make the bank transfer. Believing he was speaking to his uncle, he transferred the money; when he then called the uncle's real number he learned he had been defrauded. The loss exceeded R$56,000, money he says he had saved for years. He registered a police report on 11 August; the Piauí property-crimes unit (Depatri) is investigating and he is seeking a refund from the banks. The account is the victim's own, reported by G1 Piauí on 13 August 2026 from his social-media posts and an interview; the police unit did not respond to G1 before publication.", "incidentDate": "2026-08-11", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "day", "exposurePattern": "single_interaction", "reportedDate": "2026-08-13", "aiSystem": "AI voice cloning (tool not identified)", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "One person lost more than R$56,000 in a bank transfer made after receiving audios in his uncle's cloned voice; the victim attributes the persuasion to AI voice cloning and the loss to the fraudsters.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "One victim who made the transfer (G1 Piauí). No loss is reported for the uncle whose photo and voice were imitated, so he is not counted. Exact 1.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "BR", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://g1.globo.com/pi/piaui/noticia/2026/08/13/influenciador-golpe-com-voz-clonada.ghtml", "primarySourceLabel": "G1 Piauí, 13 August 2026: Influenciador do PI perde R$ 56 mil em golpe com voz clonada por IA durante compra de carro", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-20T03:28:14.49159+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "voice-cloning", "impersonation", "car-purchase-fraud", "brazil", "piaui", "financial-loss", "first-person-account" ] }, { "id": "2026-hudsonville-michigan-ai-voice-clone-closing-wire-fraud", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "\"the four-bedroom, $460,000 condo in the nearby suburb of Hudsonville checked every box\"; \"But on May 19 this year, days before closing, they got a startling email. To keep the closing on schedule, it said, the couple needed to wire $66,026.92 to a specified bank account within 24 hours to cover a down payment and closing costs\"; \"received a call to confirm the instructions, and the voice on the phone sounded just like their loan officer\"; \"The couple wired the money.\"; \"The closing was canceled hours before the couple was scheduled to sign the final paperwork\"; \"the couple instead rushed to borrow money from family and other sources\"; \"had two extra letters: UnitedsMortgages, instead of UnitedMortgage\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "\"必須在24小時內把頭期款與交屋費用共計6萬6026.92元匯到指定銀行帳戶\"; \"收到一封緊急電郵，結果因此損失6萬多元\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "On 19 May 2026, days before closing on a US$460,000 condo in Hudsonville, Michigan, the couple received an email demanding a US$66,026.92 wire within 24 hours from an address with two extra letters and listing a phone number two digits off their loan officer's; the husband then received a call confirming the instructions in a voice that sounded just like the loan officer; the couple borrowed from family and wired the money, which was gone by the time the real loan officer's statement arrived the day before closing, and the closing was cancelled.", "causal_attribution": "The couple's account to CNN; the World Journal item relays CNN." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "\"ensnared in a sophisticated real estate scam that uses suspected AI voice cloning and fake emails to target homebuyers in the frantic days before closing\"; \"The 64-year-old said he now believes the phone call that followed the emails was from a spoofed number and used AI-assisted voice cloning\"; \"home-buying process was compromised\"; \"likely took snippets of the loan officer\"; \"Neither the company nor the loan officer have been accused of any complicity in the scam\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "\"詐騙份子利用AI語音複製與偽造電郵\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "The husband believes the call came from a spoofed number using AI-assisted voice cloning; CertifID's co-founder, working with the couple and federal officials, said someone's email in the transaction was likely compromised and that the scammers likely cloned the loan officer's voice from his social-media posts; CNN describes the fraud as using 'suspected AI voice cloning'.", "causal_attribution": "Attribution by the victim and a fraud-prevention firm involved in the case; no forensic confirmation is published." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "\"They eventually got money from their mutual fund and completed the home purchase in early June\"; \"Internet Crime Complaint Center, the agency\"; \"wired the money to has since closed, the couple said\"; \"We are just very apprehensive\"; \"Do we need to work a little bit longer?\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "\"終於在6月初完成購屋手續。他們已向FBI「網際網路犯罪申訴中心」(Internet Crime Complaint Center)報案\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "The couple later completed the purchase in early June 2026 from their mutual fund, filed a report with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, and say the receiving account has closed; they describe apprehension and discussions about delaying retirement.", "causal_attribution": "The couple's account to CNN." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "a couple wired US$66,026.92 to scammers after a spoofed email and a call in a voice resembling their loan officer; closing cancelled, money not recovered", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/15/us/homebuyers-voice-cloning-scam", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-19 (CNN, Faith Karimi, published 15 Sep 2026, updated the same day). Interviews with the couple, CertifID's Tyler Adams and the National Association of Realtors; FBI figures; lender's counsel comment.", "independence_group": "cnn" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.worldjournal.com/wj/story/121469/9231485", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "zh", "translation_note": "Read in Traditional Chinese on 2026-09-16 and re-read on 2026-09-19 (World Journal, 15 Sep 2026): a relay of CNN's report, so it does not corroborate it; translation by the reviewer. Cited for the exact amount and the June completion of the purchase as reported in Chinese.", "independence_group": "cnn" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance", "everyday_life" ], "unknowns": [ "Whether the call in fact used AI voice cloning; no forensic finding is reported.", "Whose email account was compromised and how the scammers obtained the transaction details.", "Whether any funds have been recovered or suspects identified.", "The exact loss after any recovery; CNN reports the wired amount and that the money was gone." ], "geography": { "basis": "Hudsonville, a suburb of Grand Rapids, Michigan, per CNN's report and photographs; the couple live there. No court proceeding; an FBI IC3 report was filed.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "US" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "US" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation-fraud case with a concrete, quantified consequence: a couple lost US$66,026.92 after a call in a voice resembling their loan officer that they and a fraud-prevention firm attribute to AI voice cloning. One original report (CNN) and one relay read; AI involvement recorded as suspected; the couple are not named in this record.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-19" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "CNN describes 'suspected AI voice cloning'; the husband believes the confirming call used AI-assisted voice cloning from a spoofed number, and CertifID's co-founder, who is working on the case, says the scammers likely cloned the loan officer's voice from social-media clips. No technical confirmation is published. If the attribution is right, the AI impersonated a third party (the loan officer) in a live call with the victim; the email side of the fraud is ordinary spoofing.", "status": "suspected" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated", "communicated_with" ] }, "name": "Hudsonville (Grand Rapids area), Michigan: a couple wired US$66,026.92 to scammers after a spoofed email and a phone call in what sounded like their loan officer's voice, which they and a fraud-prevention firm attribute to AI voice cloning", "summary": "A married couple in their sixties buying a US$460,000 condo in Hudsonville, near Grand Rapids, Michigan, received an email on 19 May 2026, days before closing, telling them to wire US$66,026.92 for the down payment and closing costs within 24 hours. The email listed a phone number differing from their loan officer's by two digits, and the husband then received a call confirming the instructions in a voice that sounded just like the loan officer. The couple borrowed from family and other sources and wired the money. The day before closing their real loan officer sent the actual statement; the closing was cancelled hours before signing and the money was gone. The husband now believes the call came from a spoofed number using AI-assisted voice cloning; Tyler Adams of CertifID, which is working with the couple and federal officials, said someone's email in the transaction was probably compromised and that the scammers likely cloned the loan officer's voice from social-media clips. The sender's address had two extra letters ('UnitedsMortgages' instead of 'UnitedMortgage'). Neither the lender nor the loan officer is accused of complicity. The couple later completed the purchase in early June from their mutual fund, reported the loss to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, and describe lasting apprehension and have discussed delaying retirement. CNN reported the case on 15 September 2026; the account the money went to has since closed.", "incidentDate": "2026-05-19", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "day", "exposurePattern": "single_interaction", "reportedDate": "2026-09-15", "aiSystem": "Suspected AI voice cloning of a mortgage loan officer, combined with a spoofed phone number and a look-alike email domain (tool not identified; attribution by the victims and CertifID)", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "unverified", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss", "psychological_distress" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A couple wired US$66,026.92, partly borrowed from family, to a fraudulent account after a spoofed email and a call in what sounded like their loan officer's voice; the money was not recovered as of CNN's report, their closing was cancelled and later completed from savings, and they describe lasting apprehension and have discussed working longer before retiring.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 2, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "CNN describes one married couple who wired the funds and bore the loss. Exact count of two.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "US", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/15/us/homebuyers-voice-cloning-scam", "primarySourceLabel": "CNN, 15 Sep 2026: 'We both missed the signs:' How two homebuyers lost $66,000 in a suspected voice-cloning scam", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-20T03:19:50.137088+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "voice-cloning", "impersonation", "wire-fraud", "real-estate-scam", "mortgage-closing", "united-states", "michigan", "financial-loss", "ic3" ] }, { "id": "2026-kazakhstan-deepfake-celebrity-trading-fraud-series", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "\"Только за последние полтора месяца по стране было зарегистрировано 119 таких фактов\"; \"создают дипфейк-видео со знаменитостями и фейковые ИИ-платформы, обещающие сверхвысокий пассивный доход\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "\"В Казахстане за последние полтора месяца зарегистрировали 119 случаев мошенничества под видом трейдинга с использованием дипфейков, сообщили в Генеральной прокуратуре\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "\"По информации Генпрокуратуры, только за последние полтора месяца по стране зарегистрировано 119 таких фактов\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" }, { "locator": "\"Только за последние полтора месяца в стране зарегистрировали 119 фактов мошенничества\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s5" } ], "assertion": "The Prosecutor General's Office said that in the previous one and a half months 119 cases of fraud had been registered in Kazakhstan in a scheme that lures victims through social-media deepfake videos of celebrities and fake 'AI' investment platforms (named examples: 'Kaspi AI' with Mikhail Lomtadze, 'Quantum AI' with Elon Musk, 'TON' with Pavel Durov, 'people's investments' fronted by television news presenters).", "causal_attribution": "Single official statement relayed by five outlets; the 119 figure is a count of registered cases, and the deepfake description is the office's characterisation of the scheme." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "\"В сентябре текущего года жительница Талдыкоргана обратилась с заявлением по факту мошенничества в особо крупном размере\"; \"перевела на счета 3-их лиц более 7 млн\"; \"По указанному факту проводится досудебное расследование\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "\"Одной из жертв мошенников стала жительница Талдыкоргана\"; \"Перечисленные ею деньги и якобы дивиденды отображались в фейковом кошельке, однако возможность их обналичить мошенники не предоставили. По указанному факту проводится досудебное расследование\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" }, { "locator": "\"Более 7 млн тенге перевела злоумышленникам жительница Талдыкоргана, поверив в рекламу о сверхприбыли от трейдинга\"; \"Вывести средства женщина не смогла\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" }, { "locator": "\"она перевела на счета третьих лиц более 7 млн тенге\".", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "In September 2026 a woman from Taldykorgan reported large-scale fraud: after an Instagram advertisement offering super-profits from share trading she left her details, was contacted by the fraudsters and on their instructions transferred more than 7 million tenge to third-party accounts; the money and supposed dividends showed in a fake wallet she could not cash out; a pre-trial investigation is under way.", "causal_attribution": "The office's account of one registered case, given as an example of the scheme; whether the advertisement she saw was a deepfake video is not stated." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "a woman lost more than 7 million tenge; 119 registered cases of deepfake-fronted trading fraud in about six weeks", "claim_id": "c2", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://kazpravda.kz/n/dipfeyki-maska-durova-i-lomtadze-kazahstancev-obmanyvayut-pod-vidom-treydinga/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "ru", "translation_note": "Read in Russian on 2026-09-19 (Kazakhstanskaya Pravda, Dana Amenova, 16 Sep 2026), citing the Prosecutor General's press service; quotations in this record are the reviewer's translations from the Russian body.", "independence_group": "kz-prosecutor-general" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://informburo.kz/novosti/dipfeiki-ilona-maska-i-pavla-durova-119-slucaev-mosennicestva-s-treidingom-zaregistrirovali-v-kazaxstane", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "ru", "translation_note": "Read in Russian on 2026-09-19 (Informburo.kz, 16 Sep 2026). Same Prosecutor General statement, with the office's quoted description of the Taldykorgan case.", "independence_group": "kz-prosecutor-general" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/kazahstanka-lishilas-7-millionov-tenge-reklamyi-instagram-608643/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "ru", "translation_note": "Read in Russian on 2026-09-19 (Tengrinews, 16 Sep 2026). Same statement; carries the office's quoted sentence on the fake wallet and the pre-trial investigation.", "independence_group": "kz-prosecutor-general" }, { "id": "s4", "url": "https://kazlenta.kz/120453-moshennichestvo-pod-vidom-treydinga-genprokuratura-obratilas-k-kazahstancam.html", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "ru", "translation_note": "Read in Russian on 2026-09-19 (Kazlenta.kz, 16 Sep 2026, the earliest report found). Same statement.", "independence_group": "kz-prosecutor-general" }, { "id": "s5", "url": "https://kz.kursiv.media/2026-09-16/ezif-lomtadze-mask-i-durov-daryat-milliony-kak-kazahstancev-zamanivayut-v-lzheinvesticii/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "ru", "translation_note": "Read in Russian on 2026-09-19 (Kursiv Media, 16 Sep 2026). Same statement.", "independence_group": "kz-prosecutor-general" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance", "everyday_life" ], "unknowns": [ "Whether the Instagram advertisement seen by the Taldykorgan woman was itself a deepfake video or a fake 'AI platform' page.", "The number of victims and total losses across the 119 registered cases; the exact period ('the last one and a half months' before mid-September 2026).", "Whether any suspects have been identified or funds recovered.", "The Prosecutor General's original release text was not reached (gov.kz is JavaScript-only to this host); the record relies on five press relays of the press service." ], "geography": { "basis": "Nationwide registrations in Kazakhstan per the Prosecutor General's Office; the identified victim lives in Taldykorgan (Zhetysu region). No court proceeding reported.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "KZ" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "KZ" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation-fraud series with an official source: the Prosecutor General's Office reports 119 registered cases in about six weeks lured by deepfake celebrity videos and fake 'AI' platforms, and one identified anonymous victim who lost more than 7 million tenge. Five Russian-language bodies read, all relaying one official statement (claims reported); person count kept to the one identified victim plus unquantified others.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-19" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The Prosecutor General's Office describes the scheme's lure as deepfake videos of celebrities and fake 'AI' platforms placed on social networks; no technical verification is published, and the statement does not say whether the Taldykorgan woman's Instagram advertisement was itself a deepfake. The AI artifacts depicted and impersonated public figures; the victims' dealings were with human fraudsters.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Kazakhstan: the Prosecutor General's Office reported 119 trading-fraud cases registered in about six weeks, lured by deepfake videos of Elon Musk, Pavel Durov and other public figures and fake 'AI' platforms; a Taldykorgan woman transferred more than 7 million tenge", "summary": "On 16 September 2026 the Prosecutor General's Office of Kazakhstan warned of an investment-fraud scheme in which criminals advertise non-existent projects on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and other platforms using deepfake videos of well-known people and fake 'AI' investment platforms promising very high passive income: 'Kaspi AI' with Mikhail Lomtadze, 'Quantum AI' with Elon Musk, 'TON' with Pavel Durov, and 'people's investments' in KazMunayGas or Gazprom fronted by news presenters from Khabar 24, KTK and Channel One. The office said 119 such cases had been registered across the country in the previous one and a half months. Its example: in September 2026 a woman from Taldykorgan saw an Instagram advertisement offering high returns from share trading, left her details through the link, was contacted by the fraudsters and, following their instructions, transferred more than 7 million tenge to third-party accounts; the money and supposed dividends appeared in a fake wallet that she could not withdraw from. A pre-trial investigation is under way. The office urged people not to trust guaranteed-return offers or transfer money to strangers.", "incidentDate": "2026-08-01", "incidentEndDate": "2026-09-16", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "range", "exposurePattern": "repeated_interactions", "reportedDate": "2026-09-16", "aiSystem": "Deepfake videos of public figures (Elon Musk, Pavel Durov, Mikhail Lomtadze, television news presenters) and fake 'AI' investment platforms ('Quantum AI', 'Kaspi AI'); generation tools not identified", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "unverified", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A woman in Taldykorgan transferred more than 7 million tenge to fraudsters after an Instagram trading advertisement and could not withdraw the supposed returns; the Prosecutor General's Office registered 119 such fraud cases nationwide in about six weeks, in a scheme whose lure is deepfake celebrity videos and fake 'AI' platforms.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "partial", "affectedCountEvidence": "One identified victim (the Taldykorgan woman, more than 7 million tenge). The 119 figure counts registered fraud cases ('фактов'), not people, so the remaining victims are unquantified. One counted plus unquantified others: partial.", "victimAgeRange": "unknown", "jurisdiction": "KZ", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://kazpravda.kz/n/dipfeyki-maska-durova-i-lomtadze-kazahstancev-obmanyvayut-pod-vidom-treydinga/", "primarySourceLabel": "Kazakhstanskaya Pravda, 16 Sep 2026: Deepfakes of Musk, Durov and Lomtadze: Kazakhstanis defrauded under the guise of trading (Prosecutor General's Office statement)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-20T03:19:45.310788+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "celebrity-impersonation", "investment-fraud", "trading-scam", "fake-ai-platform", "kazakhstan", "prosecutor-general", "financial-loss", "instagram" ] }, { "id": "2026-attica-nea-ionia-ai-voice-clone-relative-fraud-ring", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Ιδιαίτερο χαρακτηριστικό της δράσης της εγκληματικής οργάνωσης αποτελούσε η χρήση εργαλείων τεχνητής νοημοσύνης (A.I.) για την κλωνοποίηση της φωνής συγγενικού προσώπου του υποψήφιου θύματος'; 'Κατά τη διάρκεια της σύντομης συνομιλίας αποκτούσαν δείγμα της φωνής του και, με τη χρήση εργαλείου τεχνητής νοημοσύνης, προέβαιναν στην κλωνοποίηση'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'επικοινωνούσαν τηλεφωνικά με τα υποψήφια θύματα και τα έπειθαν να προβούν σε συγκεκριμένες ενέργειες'; 'κυρίως για θέματα που αφορούν την εγκατάσταση οπτικής ίνας'; 'αναπαράγοντας μέσω της τεχνολογίας κλωνοποίησης τη φωνή του συγγενικού ή οικείου του προσώπου'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "The organisation used an AI tool to clone the voice of a relative of the intended victim, obtained from a pretext call, and played the cloned voice to the victim to confirm the fraudsters' instructions during fake fibre-installation or utility scenarios.", "causal_attribution": "Hellenic Police statement; single official chain." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'συνελήφθησαν -2- από τα μέλη της οργάνωσης, τη στιγμή που μόλις είχαν αφαιρέσει από οικία θύματος, τιμαλφή αξίας -30.000- ευρώ'; 'Πρόκειται για έναν 23χρονο και έναν 25χρονο'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'συνελήφθησαν δύο από τα μέλη της οργάνωσης, τη στιγμή που μόλις είχαν αφαιρέσει από οικία θύματος, τιμαλφή αξίας 30.000 ευρώ'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "Two members aged 23 and 25 were arrested in Nea Ionia, Attica, immediately after removing valuables worth €30,000 from a victim's home.", "causal_attribution": "Police account of the arrest; the loss is attributed to the ring." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Μέχρι στιγμής έχει πιστοποιηθεί η εμπλοκή των μελών της οργάνωσης σε επιπλέον -5- περιπτώσεις με παρόμοια μεθοδολογία'; 'με όφελος άνω των -120.000- ευρώ, περιλαμβάνονται ακόμη -4- άτομα'; 'το παράνομο περιουσιακό όφελος από τη δράση της εγκληματικής οργάνωσης ξεπερνά το -1.000.000- ευρώ'; 'τουλάχιστον από τις αρχές Ιουλίου 2026'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'Μέχρι στιγμής έχουν διακριβωθεί ακόμη πέντε περιπτώσεις με παρόμοια μεθοδολογία'; 'Το παράνομο περιουσιακό όφελος που αποδίδεται στη δράση της ομάδας εκτιμάται ότι ξεπερνά το 1 εκατομμύριο ευρώ'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "Police have confirmed the group's involvement in at least five further cases with the same method, document proceeds above €120,000 in the case file, which names four further people, and estimate total illicit gains above €1 million; the group operated since at least early July 2026.", "causal_attribution": "Police figures; the €1 million is an estimate and is not used as a loss count." }, { "id": "c4", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Οι συλληφθέντες οδηγήθηκαν στον αρμόδιο Εισαγγελέα και παραπέμφθηκαν στον Ανακριτή'; 'κατασχέθηκαν ένα όχημα Δημόσιας Χρήσης και -2- συσκευές κινητής τηλεφωνίας'; 'κλοπή οχήματος που τελέστηκε στις 14/9/2026'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "The two arrested were brought before the prosecutor and referred to an investigating judge; a taxi and two mobile phones were seized and a vehicle stolen on 14 September 2026 was attributed to the group.", "causal_attribution": "Police statement." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "a victim's valuables worth €30,000 were taken after calls in which a cloned relative's voice confirmed the fraudsters' instructions; police confirm at least five further victims", "claim_id": "c2", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://tvstar.gr/2026/09/18/klonopoious", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "el", "translation_note": "Read in Greek on 2026-09-19; the second half of the article reproduces the Hellenic Police announcement verbatim. Quotations translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "hellenic-police-release" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.in.gr/2026/09/18/greece/egklimatiki-organosi-eksapatouse-klonopoiontas-fones-syggenikon-prosopon-ton-thymaton-leia-ano-tou-1-ekat-eyro/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "el", "translation_note": "Read in Greek on 2026-09-19; carries the police announcement text ('Σύμφωνα με την ΕΛ.ΑΣ.').", "independence_group": "hellenic-police-release" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://indicator.gr/i-nea-ai-apati-mama-eimai-ego-klonopoioyn", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "el", "translation_note": "Read in Greek on 2026-09-19; a rewritten account of the same police announcement ('σύμφωνα με τις πληροφορίες', 'σύμφωνα με την ΕΛ.ΑΣ.'), grouped with it.", "independence_group": "hellenic-police-release" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance", "everyday_life" ], "unknowns": [ "The AI voice-cloning tool is not identified and no recording of a cloned call has been published.", "The number of people harmed in the five further cases, their losses, and whether any money was recovered are not stated.", "The date of the arrests is not given (the release is dated 18 September 2026).", "The Hellenic Police release page itself could not be fetched (astynomia.gr 403); its text is taken from full reproductions.", "Names and ages of the victims and of the cloned relatives are not published." ], "geography": { "basis": "Arrests in Nea Ionia, Attica, at a victim's home; the police describe an Attica-based operation; the arrested were brought before the competent prosecutor and referred to an investigating judge (Hellenic Police release as reproduced by tvstar.gr and in.gr).", "court_countries": [ "GR" ], "event_countries": [ "GR" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "GR" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation-fraud series with a police-documented loss to an identified (unnamed) victim and at least five further confirmed victims, where the police describe AI voice cloning as the method of persuasion. Three Greek reports read, all relaying one Hellenic Police release; claims recorded as reported. Victims and relatives unnamed; suspects identified only by age.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-19" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The Hellenic Police announcement states that the organisation used artificial-intelligence tools to clone the voice of a relative of the intended victim from a sample obtained in a pretext call, and played the cloned voice to the victim to confirm the fraudsters' instructions. The cloned voice impersonated the relative and was used to speak to the victim, which is why both relations are recorded. The tool is not identified and no recording has been published; all inspected accounts relay the police release.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "communicated_with", "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Attica, Greece: a fraud ring cloned relatives' voices with AI to 'confirm' fake fibre-installation instructions; two collectors arrested in Nea Ionia with €30,000 of a victim's valuables, at least six cases since July 2026", "summary": "On 18 September 2026 the Hellenic Police announced that its Organised Crime Directorate had dismantled a criminal organisation, active since at least early July 2026, whose members defrauded and robbed residents of Attica by posing on the phone as staff of the electricity distributor ΔΕΔΔΗΕ, mobile operators or fibre-optic installers. When a target hesitated, the callers asked for a relative's phone number, called that relative under a mobile-operator pretext to obtain a voice sample, cloned the voice with an AI tool and then played the cloned voice to the target to 'confirm' the instructions. Two men aged 23 and 25, described as the ring's 'collectors', were arrested in Nea Ionia just after removing valuables worth €30,000 from a victim's home; the case file, covering criminal organisation, fraud and aggravated theft with proceeds above €120,000, names four more people. Police have so far confirmed at least five further cases with the same method and estimate the group's total proceeds above €1 million. The two arrested were brought before the prosecutor and referred to an investigating judge.", "incidentDate": "2026-07-01", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "month", "exposurePattern": "single_interaction", "reportedDate": "2026-09-18", "aiSystem": "AI voice-cloning tool (not identified by police)", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A victim lost valuables worth €30,000 to collectors who arrived after calls in which a cloned relative's voice confirmed the fraudsters' instructions; police confirm at least five further victims of the same method and document proceeds above €120,000. The police attribute the persuasion to AI voice cloning; the losses are attributed to the ring.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "partial", "affectedCountEvidence": "The police release describes one victim from whose home valuables worth €30,000 had just been removed when the arrests took place, and 'at least five further cases with a similar methodology' without saying how many people each involved. One counted person plus additional unquantified victims (partial). The €120,000 in the case file and the estimated €1 million in proceeds are not person counts.", "victimAgeRange": "unknown", "jurisdiction": "GR", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "criminal_charges", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://tvstar.gr/2026/09/18/klonopoious", "primarySourceLabel": "tvstar.gr (STAR Κεντρικής Ελλάδας), 18 September 2026: Κλωνοποιούσαν με Τεχνητή Νοημοσύνη τις φωνές συγγενών για να πείθουν τα θύματά τους (reproduces the Hellenic Police release in full)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-19T03:12:18.18414+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "voice-cloning", "impersonation", "phone-fraud", "greece", "attica", "police-operation", "financial-loss", "organised-crime" ] }, { "id": "2026-singapore-deepfake-zoom-pm-impersonation-funding-scam", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'A person lost at least $4.9 million after falling for a scam involving the impersonation of senior government officials'; 'received a WhatsApp message with a profile photo of Mr Wong Hong Kuan'; 'transferred the money through a series of transactions to a corporate bank account supplied by the scammers'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "'He lost at least $4.9 million after believing that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had sought his help'; 'the email was sent from a Proton Mail account'; 'invited to a Zoom video conference ... fabricated using deepfake artificial intelligence technology'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" }, { "locator": "'In one case, a victim lost at least S$4.9 million (US$3.8 million) in what was claimed to be funding assistance related to the Strait of Hormuz'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "A businessman lost at least S$4.9 million after being approached by scammers posing as the Secretary to the Cabinet, signing an NDA, receiving a fake letter of guarantee with the Prime Minister's signature, attending a deepfake Zoom conference of government officials, and then transferring money in a series of transactions to a corporate account.", "causal_attribution": "Singapore Police Force advisory relayed by three outlets; single official chain." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'the speech did not synchronise with the speakers' lips'; 'the speech was broadcast via one account throughout the call'; 'end with a deepfake video of PM Wong delivering closing remarks, which included an acknowledgement of the victim's attendance'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Police obtained the footage of the fabricated Zoom conference depicting the Prime Minister, the President, Minister Indranee Rajah, MAS representatives and foreign officials, and identified deepfake indicators: speech out of sync with lips, audio broadcast from one account, and a distorted background and Zoom logo; the fake Prime Minister's closing remarks acknowledged the victim's attendance.", "causal_attribution": "Police statement on their own examination of the footage, reported by CNA." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "a businessman lost at least S$4.9 million after a deepfake video conference of government officials and a fake letter of guarantee", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/impersonation-scam-fake-zoom-meeting-footage-lawrence-wong-tharman-indranee-police-6125691", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 (CNA, 16 May 2026). Reports the police release of the fabricated Zoom footage, the participants depicted and the deepfake indicators.", "independence_group": "spf-advisory" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/victim-loses-at-least-4-9m-in-scam-involving-deepfakes-of-pm-wong-government-officials", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 (Straits Times, 14 May 2026). Reports the SPF advisory: WhatsApp and proton.me approach, NDA, letter of guarantee, Zoom call, transfers, and the 9 May SIM-card charges.", "independence_group": "spf-advisory" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/police-spf-advisory-government-official-impersonation-scam-pm-lawrence-wong-funding-assistance-hormuz-49-million", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 (AsiaOne, 13/14 May 2026). Same SPF advisory with screenshots of the WhatsApp and email approach.", "independence_group": "spf-advisory" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance", "public_services" ], "unknowns": [ "The victim's identity, business and the exact date of the transfers are not published (advisory 14 May 2026).", "No arrest for this loss or recovery of funds is reported.", "The deepfake tools used are not identified.", "Whether the victim has pursued civil recovery is unknown." ], "geography": { "basis": "Singapore Police Force advisory; the victim is described as a Singapore business professional who had dealt with government officials (Straits Times, CNA). No court proceeding for this loss is reported; the 9 May SIM-card charges concern earlier cases.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "SG" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "SG" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation-fraud case with a large documented loss to one person, where the police examined and released the AI-generated footage. Three Singapore outlets read, all relaying SPF advisories; claims recorded as reported. Victim unnamed; impersonated officials are public figures.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-18" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The Singapore Police Force obtained the Zoom footage and described specific deepfake indicators (speech out of sync with lips, audio broadcast from a single account, distorted background and logo). The AI content depicted and impersonated named officials, and the fabricated closing remarks were addressed to the victim, acknowledging his attendance, which is why communicated_with is also recorded.", "status": "supported" }, "person_relations": [ "communicated_with", "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Singapore: a businessman lost at least S$4.9 million after a deepfake Zoom 'briefing' with fabricated Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and other officials asked him for 'urgent funding assistance'", "summary": "In May 2026 the Singapore Police Force (SPF) reported that a man had lost at least S$4.9 million (about US$3.8 million) to a government-official impersonation scam. He received a WhatsApp message carrying the profile photo of Secretary to the Cabinet Wong Hong Kuan and an email from a proton.me address in that name, requesting urgent funding assistance for 'the situation in the Strait of Hormuz', with a fake 'letter of guarantee' bearing the Prime Minister's signature promising reimbursement within 15 business days; he signed a non-disclosure agreement and supplied a copy of his identity card. He was then invited to a Zoom video conference in which Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister Indranee Rajah, Monetary Authority of Singapore representatives and foreign officials appeared; all were fabricated with deepfake AI, and the closing 'remarks' by the fake Prime Minister acknowledged the victim's attendance. Contacted afterwards on WhatsApp by a scammer posing as a lawyer, he transferred the money in a series of transactions to a corporate bank account, and realised the fraud only when he contacted the real cabinet secretary. On 16 May the police released footage of the fake conference, noting lips out of sync with speech, audio broadcast from a single account and a distorted background.", "incidentDate": "2026-05-01", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "month", "exposurePattern": "single_interaction", "reportedDate": "2026-05-14", "aiSystem": "Deepfake AI video and audio fabricating Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister Indranee Rajah and other officials in a Zoom conference (tools not identified)", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A businessman transferred at least S$4.9 million to scammers after a deepfake video conference fabricating the Prime Minister and other officials; the police documented the AI-generated footage.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "Police describe a single victim who lost at least S$4.9 million. Exact count of one; the impersonated officials are not counted.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "SG", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/victim-loses-at-least-4-9m-in-scam-involving-deepfakes-of-pm-wong-government-officials", "primarySourceLabel": "The Straits Times, 14 May 2026: Victim loses at least $4.9m in scam involving deepfakes of PM Wong, government officials (Singapore Police Force advisory)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-18T03:25:14.306192+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "government-impersonation", "zoom", "video-conference", "fraud", "singapore", "financial-loss", "police-documented" ] }, { "id": "2026-surat-mp-dholakia-deepfake-old-coin-fraud", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'used artificial intelligence to manipulate publicly available videos and photographs of Dholakia, replacing the original audio with a voice-over'; 'created multiple fake Facebook profiles using the name \"Old Coin Company\"'; 'his organisation, SRK, to approach the Surat Cyber Crime Police'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "A publicly available video of MP Govind Dholakia was manipulated with AI and re-voiced to promote high-value old-coin deals; fake 'Old Coin Company' Facebook profiles used his images; his organisation SRK complained to Surat Cyber Crime Police after members of the public contacted him.", "causal_attribution": "Police account reported by India Today; single chain." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Victims were then asked to transfer amounts ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 through UPI'; 'Nine complaints registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) across the country have been linked to these accounts, with the total fraud amount reported at approximately Rs 9.84 crore'; 'arresting the two men'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Victims were asked to pay Rs 1,000 to 1,500 by UPI as fees; police arrested two men from Nuh, Haryana, linked ten bank accounts to them and connected nine NCRP complaints totalling about Rs 9.84 crore to those accounts.", "causal_attribution": "Police account reported by India Today; the Rs 9.84 crore figure is the police total for the linked complaints, not necessarily the coin scheme alone." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "people paid UPI 'fees' to an old-coin fraud fronted by an AI-manipulated video of an MP; nine cybercrime complaints linked to the accused's accounts", "claim_id": "c2", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.indiatoday.in/cities/other-cities/story/surat-mp-deepfake-scam-govindbhai-dholakia-old-coin-fraud-two-arrested-2996319-2026-09-16", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 via the MSN content API copy of the India Today report (16 Sep 2026), which names the source URL; it carries the Surat Cyber Crime Police account.", "independence_group": "india-today" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance", "everyday_life", "justice" ], "unknowns": [ "How much of the Rs 9.84 crore came from the coin scheme versus other frauds through the same accounts is not stated.", "When the video began circulating is not stated.", "Whether the two men have been charged and the case number are not reported.", "The AI tools used are not identified." ], "geography": { "basis": "Complaint and investigation in Surat, Gujarat; arrests in Nuh, Haryana; complainants 'across the country' on the NCRP (India Today). No court proceeding reported yet.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "IN" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "IN" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation-fraud case with reported financial harm to identified complainants and a police investigation with arrests. One reputable news chain carrying the police account was read; all claims are recorded as reported. Complainants unnamed; the MP is a public figure named in the police complaint.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-18" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "Surat police say the accused used artificial intelligence to manipulate the MP's videos and photographs and replace the audio with a voice-over; no forensic detail is published. The artifact depicted and impersonated a public figure; victims dealt with the fraudsters through fake profiles and UPI payments.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Surat, India: a deepfake video of Rajya Sabha MP Govind Dholakia was used to run an 'old coin' buying fraud; two men arrested and nine cybercrime complaints linked to their accounts", "summary": "Surat Cyber Crime Police said a publicly available video of Rajya Sabha MP and diamond industrialist Govind Dholakia was manipulated with AI, its audio replaced by a voice-over in which he appeared to say that people holding old coins or currency notes could contact a number and receive lakhs or crores of rupees. The video circulated on Facebook and Instagram alongside fake 'Old Coin Company' profiles using his photos; people who responded were asked to pay Rs 1,000 to 1,500 by UPI as processing or registration fees and were told of a fabricated Reserve Bank of India warning to win their trust. After members of the public contacted Dholakia, his organisation SRK complained to police. Investigators traced the operation to Nuh in Haryana and arrested two men, aged 25 and 30, from Thathaula village; ten bank accounts were linked to them, and nine complaints on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal from across India, totalling about Rs 9.84 crore, were connected to those accounts.", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "unknown", "exposurePattern": "repeated_interactions", "reportedDate": "2026-09-16", "aiSystem": "AI video manipulation with a replaced voice-over impersonating MP Govind Dholakia (tools not named)", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss", "reputational_harm" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "People who responded to an AI-manipulated video of an MP paid fees to fraudsters; police linked nine cybercrime complaints totalling about Rs 9.84 crore to the accused's bank accounts. The MP's identity and likeness were misused, prompting his organisation to complain.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 9, "affectedCountStatus": "documented_minimum", "affectedCountEvidence": "Police linked nine complaints on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal to the accused's bank accounts (India Today). Each complaint is treated as one complainant; the reported Rs 9.84 crore total may include other frauds through the same accounts, and people who paid small fees without complaining are uncounted. Documented minimum of nine.", "victimAgeRange": "unknown", "jurisdiction": "IN", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "criminal_charges", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.indiatoday.in/cities/other-cities/story/surat-mp-deepfake-scam-govindbhai-dholakia-old-coin-fraud-two-arrested-2996319-2026-09-16", "primarySourceLabel": "India Today, 16 Sep 2026: Deepfake of Surat MP used to promote fake coins, two arrested in Rs 9.8 crore fraud (Surat Cyber Crime Police account)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-18T03:25:12.535823+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "voice-over", "public-figure-impersonation", "fraud", "india", "gujarat", "surat", "haryana", "facebook", "instagram", "upi" ] }, { "id": "2026-tamil-nadu-cm-vijay-deepfake-financial-aid-fraud", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'deepfake videos in which Vijay was shown speaking in Hindi and asking people to contact a WhatsApp number'; 'arrested on September 12 and handed over to Tamil Nadu Police'; 'A case was registered in Tamil Nadu on Sept 1'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'an AI-generated version of Vijay speaking in a fabricated Hindi voice'; 'arrested on September 12 in Alwar district'; 'registered a case on September 1'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" } ], "assertion": "AI-generated videos showing a simulated Chief Minister Vijay with a Hindi voice-over asked viewers to contact a WhatsApp number for financial aid; the CB-CID registered a case on 1 September 2026 and on 12 September a 28-year-old Alwar man was arrested and remanded in Tamil Nadu.", "causal_attribution": "Reported by the Rajasthan police side (TOI) and the Tamil Nadu CB-CID side (India Today) independently." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'used to cheat several people in Madhya Pradesh and other states'; 'The CBCID also traced a man in Madhya Pradesh who had lost money in the fraud'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "'the scam had already claimed victims in Madhya Pradesh and other states'; 'statements from a victim in Madhya Pradesh'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" }, { "locator": "'attempts were made to cheat people in several states, including Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "People in Madhya Pradesh and other states lost money to the scheme; the CB-CID traced a Madhya Pradesh man who lost money and recorded his statement.", "causal_attribution": "Police account; TOI's Rajasthan-side wording ('attempts were made to cheat') is weaker than the CB-CID's ('lost money'), so the claim is recorded as reported." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "people in Madhya Pradesh and other states lost money to deepfake 'financial assistance' videos of the Chief Minister; one victim documented", "claim_id": "c2", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/raj-man-held-for-ai-deepfake-fraud-using-tamil-nadu-cm-vijays-videos/articleshow/134294900.cms", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 (Times of India, Jaipur, 16 Sep 2026). Rajasthan-side account with Alwar SP and Lakshmangarh station quotations.", "independence_group": "toi-jaipur" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/cm-vijay-ai-deepfake-scam-tamil-nadu-cbcid-arrests-rajasthan-man-2994535-2026-09-14", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 (India Today, 14 Sep 2026). CB-CID account including the Madhya Pradesh victim and the Pakistan-linked accounts.", "independence_group": "cbcid-release" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://www.newspointapp.com/english/top-news/rajasthan-man-held-for-circulating-deepfake-video-of-tn-cm-udayavani/articleshow/1450482066292b26f3fe72876b1dda49906109bd", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 via the MSN content API copy (Udayavani/PTI, 15 Sep 2026). Official-release account; same chain as the CB-CID statement.", "independence_group": "cbcid-release" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance", "everyday_life", "justice" ], "unknowns": [ "The number of defrauded people and the amounts lost are not published.", "When the videos began circulating is not stated; the case was registered on 1 September.", "Whether the accused acted alone and who operates the Pakistan-linked accounts remain under investigation.", "The AI tools used are not identified." ], "geography": { "basis": "Case registered by the Tamil Nadu CB-CID; arrest in Alwar district, Rajasthan; victims traced in Madhya Pradesh (India Today, TOI). Remand in Tamil Nadu.", "court_countries": [ "IN" ], "event_countries": [ "IN" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "IN" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation-fraud case with a documented human consequence: a public figure's likeness and voice were fabricated to solicit money and at least one identified victim lost money, with an arrest and remand. Three sources read across two independent reporting chains; defrauded people unnamed; the accused is not named here because outlets spell his name inconsistently.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-18" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "Police describe AI-generated videos with a simulated likeness of the Chief Minister and a fabricated Hindi voice; no forensic detail is published. The AI artifact depicted and impersonated a public figure; the defrauded people dealt with the fraudsters over WhatsApp.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "India: AI deepfake videos of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay offering 'financial assistance' were used to defraud people in Madhya Pradesh and other states; a Rajasthan man was arrested", "summary": "In 2026 AI-generated videos showing a simulated Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay speaking in a fabricated Hindi voice circulated on Facebook and other platforms, urging viewers to contact a WhatsApp number to receive money for education, medical treatment and other needs. The Tamil Nadu Crime Branch-CID detected the videos during routine monitoring, registered a case on 1 September 2026 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, and traced the scheme to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. On 12 September a 28-year-old man from Alwar district was arrested with Rajasthan Police, brought to Tamil Nadu on a transit warrant and remanded in judicial custody; a phone, SIM cards and a CPU were seized. Investigators traced a man in Madhya Pradesh who had lost money, and said people in several states were cheated. The CB-CID is also examining similar videos posted from Facebook accounts suspected to be run from Pakistan.", "incidentDate": "2026-09-01", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "month", "exposurePattern": "repeated_interactions", "reportedDate": "2026-09-14", "aiSystem": "AI deepfake video and synthetic Hindi voice-over of Chief Minister Vijay (tools not named)", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss", "reputational_harm" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "People in Madhya Pradesh and other states lost money after responding to AI deepfake videos of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister promising financial help; the Chief Minister's likeness and voice were fabricated for the fraud. One victim's loss is documented through his police statement; the number and amounts are not published.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "partial", "affectedCountEvidence": "The CB-CID traced one man in Madhya Pradesh who lost money and gave a statement (India Today; Newspoint/PTI); police say people in 'several states' were cheated without a count. One counted plus unquantified others: partial. The Chief Minister is not counted as a harmed person.", "victimAgeRange": "unknown", "jurisdiction": "IN", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "criminal_charges", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/cm-vijay-ai-deepfake-scam-tamil-nadu-cbcid-arrests-rajasthan-man-2994535-2026-09-14", "primarySourceLabel": "India Today, 14 Sep 2026: Pak-linked accounts spread CM Vijay's deepfakes to dupe people; one arrested (Tamil Nadu CB-CID account)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-18T03:25:10.709351+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "voice-clone", "public-figure-impersonation", "fraud", "india", "tamil-nadu", "rajasthan", "madhya-pradesh", "facebook", "whatsapp" ] }, { "id": "2026-northern-ireland-ai-celebrity-video-investment-scam", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'A person has lost £250,000 after falling victim to an AI-generated scam'; 'saw what appeared to be an AI-generated video featuring a well-known personality from the financial sector'; 'persuaded the victim in the Ards and north Down area to create multiple online accounts and gained remote access to their computer'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'a victim lost £250,000 in Ards and North Down'; 'encouraged to borrow money to continue investing'; 'further payments were required before money supposedly held in the investment could be released'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "'the victim was encouraged to borrow money to continue investing. Funds were transferred to accounts controlled by the criminals'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "A person in the Ards and North Down area lost £250,000 to an investment fraud that began with an apparently AI-generated video of a well-known financial personality, progressed through WhatsApp contact, multiple new online accounts, remote access to the victim's computer and borrowing to invest, and ended with demands for further payments to release the funds.", "causal_attribution": "Single PSNI account relayed by three outlets; the AI-generated nature of the video is the police's description ('what appeared to be')." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "one person lost £250,000 (partly borrowed) to an investment fraud lured by an AI-generated celebrity video", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2zkp8vx9jo", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-17 and 2026-09-18 (BBC News NI, Ben Lonsdale, 7 Sep 2026). Reports the PSNI statement and adds that BBC News NI has seen online scams using Martin Lewis, Peter Jones and Steven Bartlett; the PSNI did not confirm the personality.", "independence_group": "psni-statement" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/psni-urging-public-to-be-vigilant-after-sophisticated-investment-fraud-victim-looses-250000-IZL253VWX5BOLJN7ZKZ56RUYDY/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 via the MSN content API copy (Irish News, 7 Sep 2026). Carries the full PSNI statement including the Inspector Youle and Superintendent Gibson quotations.", "independence_group": "psni-statement" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://www.farminglife.com/news/crime/warning-after-victim-loses-ps250000-in-ai-investment-scam-in-northern-ireland-8972844", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 via the MSN content API copy (Farming Life, 7 Sep 2026). Same PSNI statement.", "independence_group": "psni-statement" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance", "everyday_life" ], "unknowns": [ "The dates over which the fraud ran are not given.", "The impersonated personality and the AI tool are not identified.", "No arrest or recovery of funds is reported.", "The victim's age and circumstances are not described." ], "geography": { "basis": "The PSNI locates the victim in the Ards and North Down area of Northern Ireland (UK, recorded as GB). No court proceeding.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "GB" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "GB" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation-fraud case with a concrete, police-reported consequence: one identified-but-anonymous person lost £250,000 after an AI-generated celebrity video lure. Three outlets read, all relaying one PSNI statement; claim status reported.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-18" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The PSNI says the fraud began with 'what appeared to be an AI-generated video' of a financial personality; no technical confirmation is published. The relation recorded is that the AI artifact depicted and impersonated a public figure to reach the victim; the victim's own dealings were with human fraudsters on WhatsApp.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Ards and North Down, Northern Ireland: a person lost £250,000 to an investment fraud that began with an AI-generated video of a well-known financial personality", "summary": "On 7 September 2026 the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said a person in the Ards and North Down area had lost £250,000 in what it called a 'sophisticated and substantial' investment fraud. The victim first saw what appeared to be an AI-generated online video featuring a well-known personality from the financial sector promoting an investment with significant returns. After investing a small amount the victim was contacted on WhatsApp and encouraged to pay more, persuaded to open multiple online accounts, to allow the fraudsters remote access to a computer 'to assist with the investment', to borrow money to keep investing, and finally to make further payments to 'release' funds supposedly held in the investment. The PSNI did not name the personality; BBC News NI noted that fabricated endorsements of financial experts such as Martin Lewis, Peter Jones and Steven Bartlett circulate online.", "incidentKind": "ongoing_experience", "incidentDatePrecision": "unknown", "exposurePattern": "repeated_interactions", "reportedDate": "2026-09-07", "aiSystem": "AI-generated video impersonating a well-known financial personality (tool not identified; personality not named by police)", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "One person lost £250,000, including borrowed money, to an investment fraud that used an AI-generated video of a financial personality as its lure and progressed through WhatsApp grooming and remote computer access.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "The PSNI describes a single victim who lost £250,000. Exact count of one.", "victimAgeRange": "unknown", "jurisdiction": "GB", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2zkp8vx9jo", "primarySourceLabel": "BBC News NI, 7 Sep 2026: Victim loses £250k after scammers use AI video of 'well-known' celebrity (PSNI statement)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-18T03:25:09.292712+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "ai-generated-video", "celebrity-impersonation", "investment-fraud", "united-kingdom", "northern-ireland", "psni", "financial-loss" ] }, { "id": "2026-leal-ai-impersonation-immigration-scam", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'his image and name and even his voice have been cloned with artificial intelligence to deceive desperate immigrants'; 'fake contracts bearing his firm's logo, forged signatures, websites that mimic his site... entirely fabricated immigration hearings'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" }, { "locator": "'criminals are creating fake videos using his image, voice and name'; the WhatsApp-to-Zelle/Venmo script.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "'scammers have used AI to produce fake immigration hearings over Zoom to dupe immigrants'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" } ], "assertion": "Criminals used AI to clone Ángel Leal's image, name, voice, signature and firm logo, producing fake videos, look-alike websites, forged contracts and fabricated Zoom hearings that offered immigration services (residency, citizenship 'without an exam', work permits) he never provided.", "causal_attribution": "Leal's own account, carried by four independent outlets." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'some victims end up with deportation orders without having filed any real paperwork, believing their case was in progress'; payments via Zelle/Venmo/Cash App.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "'It's gotten to the point where I literally have one to two people every day, all day, answering calls of people who have been defrauded or scammed'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" }, { "locator": "Leal describes the harm to 'other people's needs'; ABA/AILA describe victims paying scammers who impersonated lawyers.", "relation": "context", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Immigrants were defrauded of money paying for services Leal never provided, and some ended up with deportation orders believing their cases were in progress.", "causal_attribution": "Reported by Leal and immigration-lawyer groups; individual victims are not named and the total is not quantified." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "corroborated", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'6,454 fake profiles linked to these scams have been taken down' since March.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "'in June alone... they had taken down over 6,600 fake videos and profiles'; 'Leal has filed a report with the Doral Police Department.'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" } ], "assertion": "Leal changed his phone number, hired an anti-piracy firm that removed thousands of fake profiles and videos (about 6,454 since March per NBC Miami; more than 6,600 by June per WLRN), and reported the fraud to Doral police and federal authorities.", "causal_attribution": "Leal and his anti-piracy vendor, as reported; the two removal figures cover different windows." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "attorney's identity cloned with AI and used to defraud immigrants; reputational harm and business disruption to him, financial and legal harm to victims", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/scammers-impersonate-immigration-lawyers-rcna348238", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-17 (datePublished 2026-06-04). NBC News national report; Leal interview, FTC/FBI context, ABA and AILA comment.", "independence_group": "nbc" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/south-florida-immigration-lawyers-identity-cloned-with-artificial-intelligence/3817579/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-17 (datePublished 2026-06-05). NBC6 South Florida; Leal interview, fake videos and WhatsApp/Zelle scheme; story translated from Spanish with an AI tool and editor-reviewed.", "independence_group": "nbcmiami" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/south-florida-immigration-attorney-says-ai-scammers-are-using-his-identity-to-target-immigrants/", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-17 via the Internet Archive capture 20260728171300 (CBS live returns HTTP 406); datePublished 2026-06-09. CBS News Miami; Leal interview, the $2,200 residency-video scheme, ~6,500 profiles removed.", "independence_group": "cbsmiami" }, { "id": "s4", "url": "https://www.wlrn.org/immigration/2026-08-20/abogado-inmigracion-ai-scam-fraud", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-17 (datePublished 2026-08-20). WLRN Public Media; Leal realised the problem last October, one to two defrauded callers a day, 6,600+ removals in June, fake Zoom hearings, Doral police report.", "independence_group": "wlrn" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "justice", "finance", "everyday_life" ], "unknowns": [ "No individual defrauded immigrant is named and the total amount lost is not established; the reported per-victim figure (about $4,820/$5,000) comes from a Latin Times headline not inspected in full.", "No arrests are reported and no defendant is identified.", "Whether the fabricated 'deportation orders' outcome affected specific named people is not established." ], "geography": { "basis": "Event: South Florida (Doral/Miami); Leal practises there and reported to Doral police (WLRN, NBC Miami). Affected people are immigrants in South Florida. No court proceeding established.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "US" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "US" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an AI-impersonation case with real harm: a named attorney's likeness and voice were cloned to defraud immigrants, causing him reputational and business harm and causing victims financial and reported legal harm. Four independent chains, including his own on-camera interviews; victim count left partial because individual victims are unquantified.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-17" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "Leal and multiple outlets state that his real videos were manipulated with AI to clone his face and voice; NBC News, NBC Miami, CBS Miami and WLRN carry his account, and an anti-piracy firm documented thousands of AI-generated fake profiles. The specific AI tools are not named.", "status": "supported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Miami: scammers cloned immigration attorney Ángel Leal's face and voice with AI to defraud immigrants seeking legal help", "summary": "From around October 2025, criminals used AI to clone the image, voice, name, signature and firm logo of Ángel Leal, a long-established immigration attorney in Doral, Florida. They created fake videos, look-alike websites, forged contracts and even fabricated Zoom 'immigration hearings' to persuade immigrants to pay for legal services Leal never provided. Immigrants were defrauded of money, and some believed their cases were progressing when they were not; Leal received one to two defrauded callers a day, changed his phone number, hired an anti-piracy firm that removed thousands of fake profiles and videos, and reported the fraud to local police and federal authorities.", "incidentDate": "2025-10-01", "incidentKind": "ongoing_experience", "incidentDatePrecision": "month", "exposurePattern": "repeated_interactions", "reportedDate": "2026-06-04", "aiSystem": "AI voice- and video-cloning / deepfake tools (not identified in the inspected reporting)", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "reputational_harm", "financial_loss", "legal_harm" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "An immigration attorney's identity was cloned with AI and used to defraud immigrants, causing him reputational harm and business disruption (he changed his phone number and hired an anti-piracy firm) and causing defrauded immigrants financial loss, with some reportedly left facing deportation orders after believing their cases were progressing.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "partial", "affectedCountEvidence": "One counted, identified harmed person: Ángel Leal, whose likeness and voice were cloned and whose practice was disrupted. An unquantified additional group of immigrants was defrauded (Leal reports one to two defrauded callers a day; one legal immigrant reportedly lost about $4,820 per a Latin Times headline not inspected in full); no reliable victim count is established, so the status is partial.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "US", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/scammers-impersonate-immigration-lawyers-rcna348238", "primarySourceLabel": "NBC News, 4 June 2026: Scammers impersonate immigration lawyers (Angel Leal interview; FTC/FBI context; ABA/AILA comment)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-17T03:27:41.533841+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "voice-clone", "impersonation", "immigration", "fraud", "united-states", "florida", "depicted-or-impersonated" ] }, { "id": "2024-kanpur-alleged-ai-voice-impersonation-fraud", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "2024-kanpur-alleged-ai-voice-impersonation-fraud-claim-1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Incident narrative, payment paragraphs.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "2024-kanpur-alleged-ai-voice-impersonation-fraud-source-1" } ], "assertion": "Reporting says a seller transferred INR 100,000, including INR 40,000 borrowed from nearby traders.", "causal_attribution": "Reported attribution remains unestablished independently." }, { "id": "2024-kanpur-alleged-ai-voice-impersonation-fraud-claim-2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Police-investigation paragraph and closing police quotation.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "2024-kanpur-alleged-ai-voice-impersonation-fraud-source-1" } ], "assertion": "Reporting says police registered a case and began investigating.", "causal_attribution": "Reported proceeding; this does not establish AI causation." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "money_transferred", "claim_id": "2024-kanpur-alleged-ai-voice-impersonation-fraud-claim-1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "2024-kanpur-alleged-ai-voice-impersonation-fraud-source-1", "url": "https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/kanpur/cheated-for-the-first-time-by-deepfake-ai-in-kanpur-told-uncle-in-nephews-voice-save-me-by-any-means-2024-04-10", "kind": "local_reporting", "access": "read", "language": "hi", "translation_note": "Model read the original language. No independent bilingual human review.", "independence_group": "2024-kanpur-alleged-ai-voice-impersonation-fraud-account" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance" ], "unknowns": [ "No recording, forensic report, bank proof or police record inspected.", "Final loss after any recovery is unknown.", "The caller’s allegation about a relative is a scam claim, not adopted as a true offence.", "The event year follows the dated article context; the narrative explicitly gives 27 March." ], "geography": { "basis": "Narrative explicitly locates the seller and episode in Kanpur, India.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "IN" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "IN" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "A concrete adverse account with an inspected source, explicit attribution and uncertainty. Duplicate and identity review completed.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "Closing police quotation gives only a preliminary AI attribution.", "status": "suspected" }, "person_relations": [ "unknown" ] }, "name": "Kanpur seller reportedly transfers money after alleged AI voice impersonation", "summary": "Hindi reporting describes a seller transferring INR 100,000 after an impersonation call. A quoted police assessment treats AI involvement as preliminary. The transfers and AI attribution remain independently unverified.", "incidentDate": "2024-03-27", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "day", "exposurePattern": "unknown", "reportedDate": "2024-04-10", "aiSystem": "Unspecified voice-generation system", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "unverified", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A seller reportedly transferred INR 100,000.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "One seller is described as harmed; other people are not counted.", "victimAgeRange": "unknown", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "unknown", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/kanpur/cheated-for-the-first-time-by-deepfake-ai-in-kanpur-told-uncle-in-nephews-voice-save-me-by-any-means-2024-04-10", "primarySourceLabel": "Amar Ujala, Hindi reporting", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-15T03:07:27.856477+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "finance", "impersonation" ] }, { "id": "2024-aligarh-alleged-voice-cloning-fraud", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "2026-09-15-hi-voice-fraud-claim-1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "Article body, incident narrative and closing police statement", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "2026-09-15-hi-voice-fraud-source" } ], "assertion": "Local reporting says a parent transferred INR 400,000 after a call claiming his son was in police trouble. The report says police stopped one INR 86,000 transaction.", "causal_attribution": "Attributed in the account; independent causation has not been established." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "money_transferred", "claim_id": "2026-09-15-hi-voice-fraud-claim-1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "2026-09-15-hi-voice-fraud-source", "url": "https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/aligarh/cheated-four-lakhs-by-creating-son-voice-with-ai-2024-02-01", "kind": "local_reporting", "access": "read", "language": "hi", "translation_note": "Model read the original language. No separate bilingual human review.", "independence_group": "2026-09-15-hi-voice-fraud-account" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance", "fraud" ], "unknowns": [ "AI technique is attributed to a police statement in reporting; no recording or forensic evidence read.", "Final net loss and any later recovery are unknown.", "The son's alleged offence was part of the scam narrative, not an allegation adopted by this dossier." ], "geography": { "basis": "Report explicitly places the parent and incident in Aligarh, India.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "IN" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "IN" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Source body re-read, event boundary and duplicates checked, identity details minimized, and claim uncertainty stated.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-15" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "AI use is attributed in the source; no independent technical verification performed.", "status": "reported" } }, "name": "Aligarh parent reportedly transfers money after an alleged AI voice-impersonation call", "summary": "Hindi reporting describes a parent in Aligarh transferring INR 400,000 after callers impersonated police and used a voice presented as his son’s. Police reportedly stopped INR 86,000. The AI attribution and transfers have not been independently verified here; final net loss is unknown.", "incidentDate": "2024-01-30", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "day", "exposurePattern": "unknown", "reportedDate": "2024-02-02", "aiSystem": "Unspecified voice-generation system", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "unverified", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "Local reporting says a parent transferred INR 400,000 after a call claiming his son was in police trouble. The report says police stopped one INR 86,000 transaction.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "One person is described as harmed in this account; wider affected populations are not counted.", "victimAgeRange": "unknown", "outcomeStatus": "unknown", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/aligarh/cheated-four-lakhs-by-creating-son-voice-with-ai-2024-02-01", "primarySourceLabel": "Amar Ujala, Hindi reporting", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-15T01:18:49.295668+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "finance", "fraud" ] }, { "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", "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", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "ai-undressing", "ncii", "impersonation", "stalking", "harassment", "india", "gujarat", "ahmedabad", "arrest", "depicted" ] }, { "id": "2025-valencia-spain-deepfake-school", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'began investigating in December last year after a female student reported the creation of a social media account in her name that featured an AI-generated video'; '\"All these photos had been modified from the originals, which had been manipulated so that the people in them appeared completely naked\"'; 'a webpage devoted to advertising the images for commercial purposes'; 'After 15 other minors came forward with similar complaints'; 'a 17-year-old boy was being investigated on suspicion of corrupting minors'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "From December 2024 a girl in the Ribera Alta area reported fake accounts in her name with an AI-generated video and AI-manipulated nude photos of minors, plus a webpage advertising the images commercially; 15 other minors complained; the Guardia Civil traced the accounts to a 17-year-old schoolmate, now investigated for corrupting minors under a Valencia youth court.", "causal_attribution": "Guardia Civil statement as reported by the Guardian; single chain." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "16 minors depicted in AI-generated nude images and videos on fake accounts, one impersonated by name, images advertised for sale", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/27/spanish-teenager-investigated-ai-generated-nude-videos", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 (The Guardian, 27 July 2025). Reports and quotes the Guardia Civil's statement of 27 July 2025; the Spanish original of the statement was not read.", "independence_group": "guardian" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "education", "privacy", "justice" ], "unknowns": [ "The outcome of the youth-court proceeding is not known.", "The AI tools and the platforms hosting the accounts are not named.", "Whether any images were actually sold is not stated." ], "geography": { "basis": "Guardia Civil officers in the Ribera Alta area of Valencia province investigated; the victims are the suspect's schoolmates there; a youth court in Valencia oversees the case (Guardian).", "court_countries": [ "ES" ], "event_countries": [ "ES" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "ES" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Restored under the 2026-09-15 charter as a harmful-artifact case involving identified (unnamed) depicted minors, an impersonation and a police investigation under a youth court. One chain read; claims recorded as reported. Original ID and first-publication timestamp preserved; incident date corrected to the first complaint.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-18" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The Guardia Civil statement, as quoted by the Guardian, describes AI-generated videos and AI-modified photos and a website advertising AI image-modification services; no forensic detail is published. The artifacts depicted the minors and impersonated one girl by name.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Ribera Alta, Valencia: a 17-year-old was investigated for making AI-generated nude images and videos of 16 schoolmates, impersonating a girl on fake accounts and advertising the images for sale", "summary": "In December 2024 a female student in the Ribera Alta area of Valencia province reported to the Guardia Civil that a social-media account had been created in her name featuring an AI-generated video, and later a second account in her name, other accounts showing AI-generated nude videos, and a webpage advertising the images for commercial purposes; the Guardia Civil said the photos, all of minors, had been manipulated so that the people in them appeared completely naked. After 15 other minors came forward with similar complaints, officers traced IP addresses and account emails to the home of a 17-year-old schoolmate, who is being investigated on suspicion of corrupting minors under a Valencia youth court. The Guardia Civil announced the investigation on 27 July 2025.", "incidentDate": "2024-12-01", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "month", "exposurePattern": "repeated_interactions", "reportedDate": "2025-07-27", "aiSystem": "AI image and video manipulation tools (not named; police examined a website advertising AI image-modification services)", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "exploitation_or_abuse", "psychological_distress", "reputational_harm" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "Sixteen minors were depicted in AI-generated nude images and videos published on fake accounts, with one girl also impersonated by name, and the images were advertised for sale; a schoolmate is under youth-court investigation.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 16, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "One complainant plus 15 other minors who came forward with similar complaints (Guardian, quoting the Guardia Civil): exact count of 16 depicted minors.", "victimAgeRange": "minor", "jurisdiction": "ES", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/27/spanish-teenager-investigated-ai-generated-nude-videos", "primarySourceLabel": "The Guardian, 27 July 2025: Spanish teenager investigated over AI-generated nude videos of 16 schoolmates (Guardia Civil statement)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-03-09T05:45:25.741735+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "ai-generated-imagery", "minors", "school", "impersonation", "spain", "valencia", "guardia-civil", "youth-court", "depicted" ] } ] }