Scammers are usually the first to embrace the latest technologies to ensure they are ahead of the game. One of these emerging technologies can be described as artificial intelligence (AI) which is dominating the world in a storm.
One of the uses of AI is the creation of fakes or “deepfakes” and since any kind of media, from voice recordings as well as videoscan be “deepfaked,” this technology is able to cause huge loss and damage if used improperly. Learn more about deepfake technology can do and how to stay clear of frauds using fakes.
What are Deepfakes?
Image manipulation using tools like Photoshop is a long-standing crucial tool in the scammers’ arsenal. Image editing is often employed by scammers to create fake identities fake documents, fake documents, endorsements of celebrities, and many more. Deepfake technology allows fraudsters to take fraud to an entirely new level by making videos of people saying and performing things that they never did or done. Deepfakes can be constructed using video, images and even audio.
Deepfakes are known as such because they were invented by a particular branch of “deep learning” known as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). GANs are based upon the technology of neural networks, however unlike neural networks, which are able to discern huge quantities of information, GANs also gave neural networks the capability to produce new content.
Deepfakes have been propagated due to the open-source machine learning community’s spirit. New advances in generative modeling research are usually accessible for everyone around the world to download and utilize. This has led to the amount of fakes that are made has increased over time in recent years, and governments are rushing to come up with guidelines to ensure that highly credible fakes could adversely affect the public.
Deepfake Scams
Anything that has the potential to alter the world can be utilized to benefit or harm. Deepfakes come with a variety of positive applications , such as making the deceased “back to life”, more efficient face swapping in films, immersive education immersive marketing, and many more. Unfortunately, there’s the dark side, which is comprised of a myriad of fake frauds:
- impersonation Fake voices make impersonating others easier than ever before. In the year 2019 the use of the use of a voice fake was used to defraud the CEO the sum of $243,000. The CEO of a British-based energy company believed to be on the phone with the head of the company’s German parent company when he complied with instructions to immediately transfer EUR220,000 to the account of the Hungarian supplier. The voice actually came from the perpetrator who was using AI voice technology that spoofs his German Chief Executive.
In a different case the user was unknown and created an fraudulent TikTok profile for the actor Robert Pattinson who does not have any social media accounts. The account gained over 600,000 followers along with millions of fans before disappearing mysteriously. - Catfishing The catfishing frauds are fraudsters creating fake identities by using pictures of random individuals or famous people. One of the easiest methods of catching the catfish was to request for them to be on camera, since it wasn’t something you could fake. The situation has changed since the advent of deepfakes since catfish scammers are now able to make fake videos that portray the individual they’re impersonating with personalized messages.
- Fake endorsements: As we revealed in our Global State of Scams 2022 Report Investment scams are currently the most prevalent scams online. Cybercriminals are using fakes to promote fraud schemes, like scams like the “BitVex” platform which was “endorsed” by a deepfake of Elon Musk. The scam was promoted using genuine interviews, modified with deepfake technology, which used Musk’s voice as a character in a script supplied by fraudsters.
How to Spot Deepfakes
In the beginning of deepfakes, identifying an authentic fake was as simple as watching if your eyes were blinking. The eyes that were not blinking indicated a fake because the technology was not sufficient to produce blinking eyes. As technology gets better the more difficult to spot fakes. There are certain signs to look out for when you pay attention:
- Bad lip syncing
- Unnatural blinking
- Stuttering movements
- Lack of shadows and unnatural lighting
- Unnatural hair movement or hair that isn’t moving movement
In general, deepfakes are said to exhibit the “uncanny valley” effect in which the brain perceives that something is not natural. To stop fire by igniting the fire element, devices in development that utilize artificial intelligence to detect fakes. The technology for fakes is constantly evolving and therefore it is essential to remain vigilant and look out for signs that indicate the presence of fake frauds.
