Mediaset journalist's image used in AI deepfake loan scam
Safiria Leccese, a Mediaset journalist, reported that scammers used AI-generated deepfake video of her without consent to promote a fraudulent personal loan scheme. Italian postal police discovered three fake profiles using her image and blocked them, but had not identified the perpetrators.
What happened
Safiria Leccese, a Mediaset journalist, reportedly had her image used without consent in an AI-generated video to promote a personal loan scam. The video showed her in the Super partes studio offering an 'easy' personal loan.
A parliamentarian who regularly appeared on her program alerted Leccese to the fake video by discovering it through the Super partes social media account. Within an hour of the scam's circulation, several people had lost money responding to the fraudulent offer.
Leccese reported the incident to the Polizia Postale (Italian postal police), who discovered two additional fake profiles using her image. The authorities blocked all three profiles but had not identified the scammers at the time of reporting.
Reported impact
Multiple people lost money after falling for the loan scam within the first hour of the fake video's circulation.
Leccese expressed mortification and deep distress that her image had been misused to deceive and defraud the public.
Index analysis
The scam exploited both Leccese's stolen image and a frame from her television program to create a falsely authentic profile designed to request money through what was described as a simple system.
Governance controls
Leccese called for mandatory digital identity cards to open accounts, requiring users to declare their true identity to protect young people, adults, and vulnerable groups. She also advocated for political intervention and action by multinational companies to address AI misuse.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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