Al Roker by no means had a coronary heart assault. He doesn’t have hypertension. However should you watched a current deepfake video of him that unfold across Fb, you may suppose in any other case.
In a current phase on NBC’s TODAY, Roker revealed {that a} faux AI-generated video was utilizing his picture and voice to advertise a bogus hypertension remedy—claiming, falsely, that he had suffered “a few coronary heart assaults.”
“A buddy of mine despatched me a hyperlink and mentioned, ‘Is that this actual?’” Roker instructed investigative correspondent Vicky Nguyen. “And I clicked on it, and abruptly, I see and listen to myself speaking about having a few coronary heart assaults. I don’t have hypertension!”
The fabricated clip regarded and sounded convincing sufficient to idiot family and friends—together with a few of Roker’s superstar friends. “It appears like me! I imply, I can inform that it’s not me, however to the informal viewer, Al Roker’s touting this hypertension remedy… I’ve had some superstar mates name because their mother and father obtained taken in by it.”
Whereas Meta shortly eliminated the video from Fb after being contacted by TODAY, the injury was finished. The incident highlights a rising concern within the digital age: how straightforward it’s to create—and imagine—convincing deepfakes.
“We used to say, ‘Seeing is believing.’ Properly, that’s sort of out the window now,” Roker mentioned.
From Al Roker to Taylor Swift: A New Period of Scams
Al Roker isn’t the primary public determine to be focused by deepfake scams. Taylor Swift was not too long ago featured in an AI-generated video selling faux bakeware gross sales. Tom Hanks has spoken out a few faux dental plan advert that used his picture with out permission. Oprah, Brad Pitt, and others have confronted related exploitation.
These scams don’t simply confuse viewers—they’ll defraud them. Criminals use the belief individuals place in acquainted faces to advertise faux merchandise, lure them into shady investments, or steal their private data.
“It’s horrifying,” Roker instructed his co-anchors Craig Melvin and Dylan Dreyer. Craig added: “What’s scary is that if that is the place the know-how is now, then 5 years from now…”
Nguyen demonstrated simply how easy it’s to create a faux utilizing free on-line instruments, and introduced in BrandShield CEO Yoav Keren to underscore the purpose: “I feel that is changing into one of many greatest issues worldwide on-line,” Keren mentioned. “I don’t suppose that the typical client understands…and also you’re beginning to see extra of those movies on the market.”
Why Deepfakes Work—and Why They’re Harmful
In line with McAfee’s State of the Scamiverse report, the typical American sees 2.6 deepfake movies per day, with Gen Z seeing as much as 3.5 every day. These scams are designed to be plausible—as a result of the know-how makes it doable to repeat somebody’s voice, mannerisms, and expressions with horrifying accuracy.
And it doesn’t simply have an effect on celebrities:
- Scammers have faked CEOs to authorize fraudulent wire transfers.
- They’ve impersonated members of the family in disaster to steal cash.
- They’ve performed faux job interviews to reap private knowledge.
The way to Defend Your self from Deepfake Scams
Whereas the know-how behind deepfakes is advancing, there are nonetheless methods to identify—and cease—them:
- Look ahead to odd facial expressions, stiff actions, or lips out of sync with speech.
- Pay attention for robotic audio, lacking pauses, or unnatural pacing.
- Search for lighting that appears inconsistent or poorly rendered.
- Confirm surprising claims by means of trusted sources—particularly in the event that they contain cash or well being recommendation.
And most significantly, be skeptical of superstar endorsements on social media. If it appears out of character or too good to be true, it in all probability is.
How McAfee’s AI Instruments Can Assist
McAfee’s Deepfake Detector, powered by AMD’s Neural Processing Unit (NPU) within the new Ryzen™ AI 300 Collection processors, identifies manipulated audio and video in actual time—giving customers a important edge in recognizing fakes.
This know-how runs domestically in your system for sooner, non-public detection—and peace of thoughts.
Al Roker’s expertise exhibits simply how private—and persuasive—deepfake scams have develop into. They blur the road between fact and fiction, focusing on your belief within the individuals you admire.
With McAfee, you may combat again.
