AI-generated voice of São Paulo governor used in credit card cashback scam
Scammers used AI-generated voice and image to impersonate São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas in a video promoting a false credit card cashback scheme. The video directed victims to a fraudulent website to steal personal and banking information. Police opened an investigation into the voice cloning and fraud.
What happened
Scammers used artificial intelligence to recreate the voice and image of Tarcísio de Freitas, Governor of São Paulo, in a video that circulated on the internet.
The video falsely claimed that São Paulo's Procon consumer protection agency had issued a fine against all credit card companies, obliging them to return money to consumers as a cashback. The fake video directed users to click a link mimicking a Procon-SP website, where they were prompted to provide personal and banking information under the pretense of receiving the promised refund.
Reported impact
The scam targeted consumers seeking to claim the false cashback promised in the video. Victims who clicked the fraudulent link were compromised, having disclosed personal and banking information to scammers.
Index analysis
The Procon-SP and other São Paulo government agencies do not conduct credit card cashback campaigns, and confirmed the information in the video was false.
Governance controls
The São Paulo government's Public Security Secretariat identified the scam and opened a police investigation to identify those responsible for the cybercrime involving unauthorized use of AI to falsify the governor's voice.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.