AI-generated deepfake of Polish President in investment scam on Meta platforms
Scammers used an AI-generated deepfake of Polish President Karol Nawrocki to promote a fraudulent investment scheme on Meta platforms. Poland's Ministry of Digital Affairs accused Meta of profiting from the fraudulent advertisements and threatened legal action if the company did not respond and remove the content.
What happened
A deepfake video of Polish President Karol Nawrocki was created using artificial intelligence and circulated on Facebook, showing the President endorsing an investment platform promising returns of 4,000 zloty (approximately 929 euros) within hours of registration.
Scammers used the synthetic video to solicit investment from Polish citizens on Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram. The Polish Ministry of Digital Affairs alleged that Meta published advertisements containing these fraudulent videos and generated revenue from them.
Reported impact
Polish citizens risked losing their savings through the fake investment scheme promoted in the deepfake videos.
Polish Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski stated that millions of Poles could face financial harm from such fraudulent content.
Index analysis
The Polish Ministry of Digital Affairs sent a warning letter to Meta demanding detailed data about the fraudulent advertisements published on Facebook and Instagram in Poland and requesting explanation of measures to prevent similar content.
Gawkowski stated that Meta had the financial resources, technology and capability to effectively stop such content but denied responsibility by attributing it to anonymous advertisers.
Governance controls
Poland threatened legal action against Meta if the company did not respond to the ministry's letter and take action against the fraudulent advertisements.
The Polish government warned it would escalate the matter to the European Commission if Meta failed to address the issue.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.