Pittsburg man loses $1,900 in AI-generated Trump investment scam
Wesley Skelton, a Marine Corps veteran from Pittsburg, California, was duped into buying 324 'golden eagles' for $2,500 after watching AI-generated videos of President Trump, Bank of America's CEO, and Elon Musk promoting the Golden Eagles Project. The videos, which appeared on Telegram, falsely claimed the collectible coins could be traded in for over $100,000 each at Bank of America. After discovering the items were worthless, Skelton received a partial refund of $600 from his credit card processor, but the seller did not respond. The scam highlights the use of AI-generated deepfakes to perpetrate financial fraud.
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AI deepfakes of doctors used to scam diabetes patients in Australia
Scammers used AI-generated deepfake videos and fake interviews impersonating diabetes expert Professor Jonathan Shaw and other health professionals to promote a dietary supplement called Glyco Balance. The fraudulent ads falsely claimed the supplement, sold by Vellec Group, was developed at the Baker Institute and that commonly prescribed diabetes medication is dangerous. One victim, Michael, purchased the supplement for $340 before realising it was a scam. The Therapeutic Goods Administration is assessing the situation, and Meta removed the fake video after the Baker Institute reported it.
- Company involved
- Vellec Group
- AI system involved
- Generative AI for deepfake video creation
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Amazon and Goodreads listed AI-generated books falsely credited to Jane Friedman
Jane Friedman, an author, says AI-generated books were uploaded to Amazon and Goodreads under her name without her consent. She reported the books to Amazon, which initially refused to remove them unless she provided a trademark registration number. After she publicised the issue, the fraudulent titles were removed from both platforms. She says the books misled readers and put her reputation at risk.
- Company involved
- Amazon and Goodreads
- AI system involved
- Amazon and Goodreads
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Guernsey Deputy Targeted in AI-Generated Investment Scam
Scammers used AI-generated video and fake press reports to impersonate Guernsey's senior politician, Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, falsely showing her endorsing a non-existent government investment scheme. The deputy warned the public on social media not to fall for the scam, which contained a typo referring to her as 'Mr.' No financial losses have been reported, but the incident is part of a series of scams using recognisable local figures and media.
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Greek Finance Minister Sues Over Deepfake Investment Scam Advert
Greek Minister of Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis and his ministry filed a lawsuit against unknown administrators of a Facebook page. They allege that AI was used to create a deepfake video falsely depicting the minister urging citizens to invest in high-yield programmes. The lawsuit accuses the page of deceptive advertising. The EU AI Act classifies deepfakes as limited risk.
- Company involved
- Unknown Facebook page administrators
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Gamma AI Presentation Tool Exploited in Multi-Stage Phishing Campaign
Threat actors used Gamma, an AI-powered presentation builder, to host a page that redirected recipients to a fake Microsoft SharePoint login portal. Emails sent from compromised legitimate accounts passed authentication checks, while a Cloudflare Turnstile blocked automated security scanners. An adversary-in-the-middle framework validated credentials in real time and captured session cookies, enabling multi-factor authentication bypass on Microsoft accounts. Abnormal reported the campaign on 15 April 2025.
- AI system involved
- Gamma
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UAE Company Loses $35 Million in Deepfake Audio Scam
Fraudsters used forged emails and deepfake audio to impersonate a company director, convincing a branch manager at a UAE company to transfer $35 million as part of a fake acquisition. The manager believed he was following instructions from the director and a US-based lawyer. The incident, which occurred in January 2020, led to a US federal court request for assistance in tracing the stolen funds. The case highlights the growing threat of deepfake technology in corporate fraud.
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Veriff founder targeted by real-time deepfake video call
Attackers used a real-time deepfake video of Veriff founder Kaarel Kotkas to target a company executive over WhatsApp. The executive became suspicious due to an out-of-character demand for an urgent call and the deepfake's failure to replicate Kotkas's Estonian accent. The fraud was confirmed via a separate communication channel on Slack. The incident is described as a near miss, with no financial loss reported.
- Company involved
- Veriff
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Houston women scammed by AI deepfake videos on Facebook
Two Houston women were tricked by scammers using AI-generated deepfake videos of their friends on Facebook Messenger. The scammers obtained access codes and took over their Facebook accounts, then used deepfakes of the victims to solicit money from their friends for fake sales. Some friends sent hundreds of dollars, and the victims lost access to their accounts and personal photos. Facebook did not respond to media inquiries.
- Company involved
- Facebook
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Criminal Group Used Deepfakes of Gisele Bündchen in Million-Dollar Scam
A criminal group in Brazil used AI-generated deepfake videos of model Gisele Bündchen and other celebrities to promote non-existent products, defrauding victims of over R$20 million. The scheme tricked people into paying shipping fees for fake 'anti-wrinkle kits' and other items. Police launched Operation 'Modo Selva', arresting four people and freezing up to R$210 million in assets. The leader allegedly ran a 'digital crime university' teaching others how to commit online fraud.
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FMA Warns of Deepfake Impersonation Scam Targeting Kiwi Investors
The New Zealand Financial Markets Authority (FMA) has warned that a pump-and-dump scam using deepfake ads impersonating business leaders is targeting Kiwi investors. Victims are lured into WhatsApp groups via social media ads and encouraged to buy low-value shares, artificially inflating prices before scammers sell, leaving investors with losses. The FMA has received multiple complaints and is sharing information with overseas regulators, while urging the public to be cautious of unsolicited investment advice.
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Sky Gold subsidiary loses Rs 10.70 crore in deepfake scam
Starmangalsutra Private Limited, a subsidiary of Sky Gold and Diamonds, lost approximately Rs 10.70 crore after fraudsters used deepfake techniques to impersonate a director and trick an employee into transferring funds to unknown accounts. The incident was discovered on July 15, 2026, and the company reported it to cybercrime authorities and banks. Sky Gold stated there is no indication of broader IT system breaches.
- Company involved
- Starmangalsutra Private Limited
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Scammer uses deepfake video to impersonate U.S. Admiral and swindle California widow of $287,928
An unidentified individual used a deepfake video to impersonate U.S. Navy Admiral Sean Buck on Skype, deceiving a widow from Santa Monica, California, into believing she was in a romantic relationship. Over four months, the victim wired nearly $288,000 to the scammer, who also posed as another person named Robert Ankeny. The funds have not been recovered, and a federal complaint has been filed.
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Scammers used AI-generated faces to pose as a Boston law firm
Scammers used a website and AI-generated faces to create a fake law firm called Arthur Davidson and sent a DMCA copyright infringement notice to a blogger. The blogger investigated and discovered the lawyers' photos were created by a generative adversarial network and the firm's website contained many red flags. The website was shut down shortly after the blogger contacted a company on whose behalf the notice was allegedly sent.
- Company involved
- Arthur Davidson
- AI system involved
- This Person Does Not Exist
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Google sues Chinese gang over AI-powered fraud targeting Americans
Google has filed a lawsuit against a Chinese cybercrime group called Outsider Enterprise, alleging it used Google's Gemini AI to create hundreds of fake websites impersonating companies and government services. The group allegedly sent millions of phishing messages to Android users, defrauding hundreds of thousands of Americans of millions of dollars. Google is coordinating with the FBI and wireless carriers to dismantle the network. The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, seeks an injunction to take down the operation.
- Company involved
- Outsider Enterprise
- AI system involved
- Gemini
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Ferris v. Amazon.com Services (N.D. Mississippi): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, Plaintiff ordered to pay Defendant’s reasonable costs related to…
The AI generated fabricated legal citations that were submitted to the court, affecting the defendant and the judicial process.
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West Virginia Couple Targeted in AI-Generated Real Estate Scam
Raegan Bartlo received an email on August 23, 2024, that appeared to be from her title company lawyer, instructing her to wire a $255,000 down payment for her new home. The email was part of a scam using generative AI to impersonate real estate professionals. Cybersecurity officials say such scams are occurring across the country, targeting homebuyers. The Bartlos were targets, but it is unclear if they lost any money.
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Deepfake Video Falsely Shows Indian Finance Minister Endorsing Investment Platform
A deepfake video circulating on social media falsely depicted Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman endorsing an investment platform promising high returns. CyberPeace confirmed the video was AI-generated and manipulated, with no such endorsement made. The incident highlights the use of deepfakes to scam the public.
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Fraudsters use AI voice deepfake to trick UK energy firm CEO into transferring $243,000
In March 2019, criminals used commercially available AI voice-generation software to impersonate the CEO of a German parent company. They tricked the CEO of a UK-based energy firm into urgently wiring $243,000 to a Hungarian supplier. The fraud was discovered when the fraudsters attempted a second transfer, which the CEO refused. The company was insured and the loss was covered.
- Company involved
- Unnamed UK-based energy firm
- AI system involved
- Commercially available voice-generating AI software
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Deepfake video of Sam Bankman-Fried used in crypto phishing scam
A verified Twitter account posted a deepfake video of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried claiming to offer compensation to users of the collapsed exchange. The video directed viewers to a phishing website, ftxcompensation.com, that asked them to connect their crypto wallets and send funds with the promise of doubling them. The site's Ethereum address reportedly received over $1,000 in ETH. The account was later suspended.
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Attempted deepfake CEO voicemail fraud against an unnamed technology company
An attacker used synthetic audio deepfake to leave a voicemail impersonating the CEO of a technology company, asking an employee to call back to finalize an urgent business deal. The employee found it suspicious and referred the matter to the legal department, avoiding any loss. Nisos analyzed the audio and found inconsistencies in pitch and tone.
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Art gallery owner loses business after AI deepfake scam impersonating Pierce Brosnan
Simone Simms, owner of a Nottingham art gallery, was deceived by scammers using AI deepfake technology to impersonate actor Pierce Brosnan. She exchanged messages and had video calls with the fake Brosnan, leading her to send £3,000 and organise an exhibition, selling £20,000 in tickets. After the real Brosnan issued a cease-and-desist, she refunded the tickets and was forced to close her gallery, losing her £30,000 business.
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FTC settles with Sitejabber over reviews from customers who had not received goods
The US Federal Trade Commission has charged Sitejabber, an AI-enabled review platform, with deceiving consumers by publishing ratings and reviews submitted at the point of purchase, before buyers had received or experienced the products. The FTC alleges this artificially inflated average ratings and review counts for its clients. Sitejabber has agreed to a proposed consent order prohibiting it from making such misrepresentations in the future.
- Company involved
- Sitejabber
- AI system involved
- Sitejabber
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Facebook Allowed Age-Targeted Credit Card Ads Violating Its Policy
The Markup found that four companies—Aspiration, Hometap, Chime, and Varo Bank—ran Facebook ads for credit cards and home equity loans that were targeted by age, excluding users under 25 or 35. This practice violates Facebook's own anti-discrimination policy and may violate the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and California's Unruh Civil Rights Act. Facebook did not respond to requests for comment, and some advertisers said they would review their ad targeting.
- Company involved
- Facebook
- AI system involved
- Facebook Ad Platform
9 source articles · read the reporting →
