Deepfake video impersonates Hungarian singer to promote unregulated diabetes treatment
Fraudsters created a deepfake video impersonating Hungarian singer Hevesi Tamás to promote unregulated diabetes treatment, encouraging patients to stop taking insulin. The singer filed a police report, warning that such deceptions endanger lives, particularly among older audiences.
What happened
A deepfake video circulating online impersonates Hungarian singer Hevesi Tamás, using his face and voice without permission to advertise unregulated tablets to diabetic patients.
The video encourages diabetics to abandon insulin treatment in favor of the advertised tablet. Hevesi filed a police report about the fraudulent use of his identity.
Reported impact
Hevesi stated that such deepfakes are particularly dangerous to older generations who may be deceived by the manipulation, and that the video could potentially cost lives.
The singer receives daily messages on social media from people inquiring about the tablet being promoted in the fraudulent video.
Index analysis
Fraudsters have used AI-generated deepfakes impersonating multiple Hungarian celebrities to deceive consumers. The deepfake videos in this case are sophisticated enough to fool many viewers, though audio and lip-sync inconsistencies are detectable upon close inspection.
Governance controls
Hevesi reported the incident to police, though he acknowledged the difficulty of investigating online criminals and criminal networks, describing it as 'like searching for a needle in a haystack.'
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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