Deepfake video of Macron used in investment scam targeting French retiree
A retiree in Pont-à-Mousson, France lost 25,000 euros in an investment fraud scheme in summer 2025 after being deceived by an AI-generated deepfake video featuring President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Bernard Arnault. A purported financial adviser guided the victim through multiple deposits on a fraudulent platform, showing fake returns until the website disappeared and all funds were lost. Police report receiving up to five similar complaints per week related to deepfake-based investment scams.
What happened
A retiree from Pont-à-Mousson discovered an online advertisement featuring a video of President Emmanuel Macron and Bernard Arnault promoting an investment platform with exceptional returns. The video was entirely generated by artificial intelligence as a deepfake.
After filling out an online form, the victim was contacted by a purported financial adviser who encouraged an initial deposit of 5,000 euros. The victim received small returns on subsequent visits to the online platform, building confidence in the scheme. Over several weeks, she made multiple deposits totalling 25,000 euros, all her savings.
After a few weeks, the website disappeared, contacts became unreachable, and all invested money was lost. The victim realized she had been defrauded with no possibility of recovery.
Reported impact
The retiree lost 25,000 euros, representing all her life savings.
The Commissariat of Pont-à-Mousson reported receiving up to five complaints per week related to similar AI-generated deepfake fraud schemes.
Index analysis
Authorities in France have characterized this case as illustrative of rising financial fraud schemes using artificial intelligence to generate convincing deepfake videos of public figures to deceive victims into investment fraud.
Governance controls
The Commissariat of Pont-à-Mousson advised that legitimate financial advisers never request bank card numbers or transfers to other accounts.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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