Deepfake audio used in scam promoting fraudulent AI trading platform
Scammers created an audio deepfake of Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela and journalist Mark Laurence Zammit to make them appear to endorse a fraudulent investment scheme claiming to turn €250 into €30,000 monthly income. The deepfake was overlaid on genuine video footage from a November 2022 interview, with the scam falsely claiming the investment was "protected by the Central Bank of Malta."
What happened
Scammers created an audio deepfake of Prime Minister Robert Abela and journalist Mark Laurence Zammit appearing to endorse a fraudulent AI-driven trading platform claiming to turn a €250 investment into €30,000 monthly income.
The deepfake was overlaid on genuine video footage from a November 2022 interview originally published by Times of Malta. The scam falsely claimed the investment was 'protected by the Central Bank of Malta' and attributed English-language speech to Abela and Zammit, who originally spoke in Maltese.
Reported impact
Several people contacted Times of Malta asking whether the fraudulent post was genuine, indicating the deepfake caused confusion. The scam targeted the public through Facebook posts.
The article notes this is the second time the same interview has been exploited for fraudulent schemes, with a similar cryptocurrency investment scam using the same footage two years prior.
Index analysis
The deepfake mimicked Abela and Zammit's voices and intonation in English to create the appearance of their endorsement. While not entirely convincing to alert viewers, the audio manipulation successfully deceived some members of the public into inquiring about the fraudulent scheme.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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