AI-Generated Deepfake Video of Malaysian King Used in Financial Scam
Malaysian police identified a fraudulent 32-second video on TikTok showing an AI-generated deepfake of Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, falsely offering financial assistance. The video, uploaded by user @DATUKZULKARNAIN77, was part of a scam directing people to contact someone named "Datuk Zulkarnain."
What happened
A 32-second video was uploaded to TikTok by user @DATUKZULKARNAIN77 featuring an AI-generated deepfake of Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, falsely claiming he was offering monetary aid to Malaysians.
The video directed people experiencing financial hardship to contact someone named 'Datuk Zulkarnain', forming part of a financial scam.
Reported impact
Police identified the video as fraudulent and warned the public not to fall for the scam or contact the uploader.
Index analysis
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa confirmed the video was created using artificial intelligence and appeared designed to deceive.
Governance controls
Police lodged a report under Section 419 of the Penal Code for cheating by impersonation and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for improper use of network facilities.
An investigation is ongoing by the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.