Deepfake Anthony Albanese used in celebrity scams duping Australians out of $7.4m, Asic warns

Australia's corporate watchdog, ASIC, has issued a warning about the rise in deepfake scams using celebrities and politicians to lure victims into fake investment opportunities. Anthony Albanese, the country's prime minister, is the most commonly used figure in these scams. In one instance, a video used real footage of Albanese, overlaid with fake audio, promising Australians could invest $4,000 to earn $40,000 a month.

ASIC dealt with over 19,400 scams last financial year, nearly tripling the number from the previous year. Scammers are leveraging AI to generate deepfakes with increasing ease, creating networks of fake brands, websites, reviews, news articles, and videos to deceive victims. Australians lost $7.4 million to the top 10 impersonated public figures, with Albanese leading the list.

The scam involves the use of an American accent, false claims, and misleading mathematics. ASIC warns that scammers exploit broader changes in the news cycle to impersonate celebrities opportunistically. To avoid falling victim to such scams, consumers are advised to verify website addresses, check the legitimacy of individuals and companies, be cautious of urgent calls to act, and report any suspicious activities to ASIC, their bank, or cyber.gov.au.