Deepfake videos of Romanian presidential candidates used in investment scam
Deepfake videos falsely showing Romanian presidential candidates Nicușor Dan and George Simion endorsing a fraudulent government investment scheme have been circulated online ahead of Romania's 2026 presidential election. The scam directs victims to fabricated websites impersonating news outlets and government institutions to collect activation fees for the fake investment opportunity.
What happened
AI-generated deepfake videos falsely showed presidential candidates Nicușor Dan and George Simion endorsing a fraudulent investment scheme called 'Neptun Deep' ahead of Romania's 2026 presidential election.
The scam promised monthly payments of 9,000 lei in exchange for an 'activation contribution' of 1,400 lei, falsely claiming the Neptun Deep energy project was a government investment program for citizens.
Reported impact
The deepfake video featuring George Simion was removed from Facebook, but the video with Nicușor Dan remained active and continued attracting reactions and shares at an accelerating rate.
Victims were redirected from the videos to fraudulent websites designed to impersonate legitimate news sites and government institutions, with fabricated articles falsely claiming high-ranking politicians including former president Klaus Iohannis were investing in the scheme.
Index analysis
Attackers exploited the name of the legitimate Neptun Deep project, Romania's largest ongoing energy initiative for natural gas exploration and production in the Black Sea, to lend credibility to the investment fraud.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.