AI-generated deepfake video impersonates Bulgarian epidemiologist to advertise joint cream
Deepfake videos using AI technology impersonated Bulgarian epidemiologist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Angel Kunchev to promote a fraudulent joint cream on social media. The videos, posted on Facebook in January 2025 and garnering over 342,000 views, made false medical claims about curing joint pain in three days, prompting consumer protection organizations to request their removal.
What happened
AI-generated deepfake videos impersonating Bulgarian epidemiologist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Angel Kunchev circulated on social media, promoting a joint cream claiming to cure pain in three days.
One video presented as an exclusive live television news interview featured the impersonated epidemiologist claiming he developed a new cream formula that entirely eliminates joint pain within three days and restores damaged joints, with claims of over 100,000 satisfied Bulgarian customers.
The video was posted on a Facebook page named 'Updates Realm' on January 7, 2025, and accumulated over 342,000 views. The page was registered in the 'Real Estate' category despite having only 10 followers and no prior posts.
Reported impact
The consumer protection platform Ние, потребителите warned the public not to trust such fake advertisements and reported the videos for removal.
Index analysis
The video was designed to appear as a news broadcast to lend credibility to fraudulent product claims, using the reputation of a respected public health official.
The page used a story format rather than standard posts to avoid archiving and detection through keyword searches, combined with potential paid promotion to reach a wider audience before removal.
Governance controls
The consumer protection platform reported the videos requesting their removal from Facebook.
No purchase links, pricing, or clear product name were displayed in the video, though a barely visible watermark reading 'boriao shop' appeared, suggesting the video may be part of a preliminary campaign to build interest before the full sales operation was launched.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.