Indonesian police arrest man for using AI deepfake to impersonate officials
Indonesian police arrested a 29-year-old man for using AI deepfake technology to impersonate government officials including the president, vice president, and finance minister in social media videos promoting fraudulent government assistance schemes.
What happened
A 29-year-old man with initials AMA, working as a self-employed entrepreneur in Lampung Tengah, was arrested on 16 January 2025 by Indonesia's Cyber Crime Directorate (Dirtipidsiber Bareskrim Polri) for using AI deepfake technology to commit fraud.
The suspect uploaded and distributed videos on various social media platforms using deepfake technology that impersonated President Prabowo Subianto, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, and other government officials. The deepfakes were designed to appear as if these officials were announcing that the government was offering assistance to those in need.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.