{ "meta": { "exportedAt": "2026-09-22T18:30:30.444Z", "formatVersion": 2, "selection": { "q": "whatsapp", "system": "", "harm": "", "context": "", "country": "", "role": "", "relation": "core", "evidence": "", "year": "", "response": "regulatory", "severity": "", "verification": "", "view": "incidents", "sort": "added" }, "totalIncidents": 2, "coverage": { "cases": 2, "countries": 2, "languages": 1, "unknownLocation": 0, "locationPending": 0, "unknownLanguage": 0, "unknownDate": 1, "lawsuits": 0, "regulatory": 2, "minors": 0, "coreRelations": 2, "contextualRelations": 0, "mixedRelations": 0, "unknownRelations": 0, "relationPending": 0, "relationUnknown": 0 }, "countingNote": "Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.", "affectedCountNote": "Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.", "source": "NOPE Incident Tracker", "url": "https://nope.net/incidents", "license": "CC BY 4.0" }, "incidents": [ { "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-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" ] } ] }