Deepfake videos with AI voice clone of Singapore PM Lawrence Wong used in scams
Deepfake videos featuring an AI-generated voice clone of Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong are being used by scammers to promote cryptocurrency schemes, money-making services, and permanent residency applications. Prime Minister Wong publicly warned about the scams and urged the public to report them, noting this follows a similar incident in 2023 involving deepfake videos of him.
What happened
Deepfake videos featuring an AI-generated voice clone of Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong are circulating online and being used by scammers to promote cryptocurrency, money-making schemes, and permanent residency application services.
Wong warned the public about the scams on Friday via posts on Facebook and X, noting he had seen them on his social media feed. He urged people to stay vigilant, not respond to the scams, not share personal information, and to report them via ScamShield.
Reported impact
Scammers are using the deepfake videos to defraud people by promoting investment schemes, cryptocurrency deals, and fraudulent permanent residency services.
This is not the first time deepfakes of Wong have been used in scams; a deepfake video of Wong when he was deputy prime minister was previously used to promote an investment scam in 2023.
Index analysis
Singapore recorded a surge in financial scams, with scam victims losing a record S$1.1 billion in 2024 and the number of cases rising nearly 11% to 51,501 from the previous year, according to police data.
Governance controls
Singapore's parliament passed a law in January allowing police to restrict bank accounts of individuals suspected to be scam victims to protect them from remote financial scams.
The government announced it will consider caning as punishment for some scam-related offences.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.