Deepfake video of Dr. Rinki Murphy and Jack Tame used to promote diabetes medication scam
An AI-generated deepfake video falsely featuring TVNZ presenter Jack Tame and diabetes expert Dr. Rinki Murphy circulated online, promoting fake diabetes cures and encouraging people to stop taking prescribed medications. At least one person reportedly paid money for the advertised products, and New Zealand Police opened an investigation after a report was made on April 30.
What happened
An AI-generated deepfake video circulating online purported to show TVNZ presenter Jack Tame and Auckland University diabetes expert Dr. Rinki Murphy discussing a supposed medical breakthrough on a TVNZ Q+A interview.
The video falsely showed Murphy telling viewers to stop taking their diabetes medications and to purchase unidentified products purported to cure diabetes. Murphy first became aware of the scam in April after being shown the video by a neighbour and immediately contacted police, NetSafe and Health NZ Te Whatu Ora.
Some videos featured Murphy saying phrases such as 'buy this 5 second method', 'take this cure for 27 days', 'these pills are NOT sold in pharmacies' or 'click here to find out more'. Murphy stated that real doctors do not use such language and do not sell products through social media ads.
Reported impact
At least one person, Steve Davis from WhangΔrei who lives with diabetes, paid $320 after watching the video. Murphy reported being contacted by about 50 people about claims made in the video and expressed concern that many more may have been scammed.
The video was convincing people with diabetes to stop taking important medications, prompting a warning from Health NZ's chief medical officer of health, Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard, advising the public to question unexpected health messages.
Index analysis
Murphy noted that the AI technology involved in these scams was becoming increasingly sophisticated and capable of deceiving people. Tell-tale signs of the altered videos included lack of synchronisation between the words being spoken and her mouth moving.
Murphy reported difficulties in getting the videos taken down from social media platforms such as Facebook, as new versions appeared shortly after videos were reported and removed.
Governance controls
An online report was made to New Zealand Police on April 30 relating to the video. Police urged caution when making online purchases and advised that if a deal seemed too good to be true, it was likely the case.
Police warned consumers never to enter bank or card details on suspicious-looking websites and advised victims to report scams to police and NetSafe.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.