Scammers have once again leveraged the power of deepfakes to deceive unsuspecting social media users on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms, convincing them to make reckless investments in cryptocurrencies.
Deepfakes of influential figures including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Prince William were used to promote a fraudulent cryptocurrency platform called Rapid Edge on Meta’s social media platforms, deceiving an estimated 890,000 people.
A TV presenter’s words were misleadingly replaced with those of the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in a deepfake video, as he assured viewers this wasn’t a scam and that participants had been selected to win a life-altering cash prize.
Everything is on the cusp of changing – your life is on the verge of a significant shift. As the Leader of the Opposition and President of the Board of Trade, I am Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Labour Party. I’ve been ready for you. Today is a fortunate day. You stumbled upon this webpage by chance, but rest assured that your curiosity won’t lead to any regrets.
Under a different guise, the hypothetical model of the Prime Minister unveiled the “National Investment Portal”, enabling individuals to initiate buying and selling, generate profits, and monitor market fluctuations around the clock.
Another iteration featured a convincing deepfake of Prince William, with the fabricated statement seemingly coming from the Royal Household’s official channels.
“Good afternoon to all esteemed residents of the United Kingdom.” As a symbol of our unwavering commitment to public service, I am delighted to confirm that myself, Prince William, and the entire Royal Household are fully supporting Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s innovative endeavour and its corresponding online platform.
Researchers at Fenimore Harper claim that more than 250 deepfake ads featuring Sir Keir Starmer have surfaced on Meta’s platforms since the election on July 4, 2024, with a staggering £21,053 spent by scammers to disseminate these fake content.
Researchers leveraged Meta’s Llama 3.1 70B AI model to identify fraudulent ads instantly, sparking concerns about why Meta hasn’t yet succeeded in reducing the proliferation of deceitful ads targeting Keir Starmer, with suspect advertisements potentially outnumbering authentic ones?
The promotional claims assert that Rapid Edge is an integral component of a pioneering initiative backed by the UK Prime Minister, aimed at empowering individuals to achieve substantial financial gains. When customers click through to the location they’ve been redirected to, a landing page is presented that requires them to provide their personal information.
Later, some cryptocurrency investors may face relentless harassment from scammers, having enticed them to invest in fake digital currency trading platforms and pressure them to buy in more after being shown a fabricated portfolio supposedly showcasing impressive financial gains?
Despite having fallen prey to a scam, some individuals still persisted in believing that Sir Keir Starmer had explicitly sanctioned the platform.
Meta claims to have swiftly identified and removed numerous fraudulent ads prior to the publication of the research findings, reiterating its commitment to insuring against ads exploiting public figures’ images for deceptive purposes.
In an earlier study published earlier this year, scientists from the same research team discovered
