Emerging AI Scams Impersonating Canadian Politicians Targeting Canadians + Businesses
A recent surge of AI scams impersonating Canadian politicians has been emerging, and Canadians are paying the price. This time, cybercriminals have begun to deepfake Canadian politicians, such as Jagmeet Singh, with an investment scam trying to convince Canadians they can earn over 12,000 CAD per month. In this targeted scam, Cyber Criminals made a deepfake video of a CBC Interview with Jagmeet Singh talking more about the investment opportunity. A closer look at the CBC site highlights a number of discrepancies which indicate it’s not real, such as the website that is hosting the page.
AI Deepfake
The video of the deepfake was hosted on Vidalytics, a video marketing software and featured a fake CBC interview, which can be seen below. While the video was laggy at specific points due to the recording, the website hosting was not laggy, and the video was seamless with the audio. A number of signs give away the fact that it’s fake; for starters, the lips are very obvious and are moving in a very unnatural way. Second, the lips are not lining up with what’s being said, which also indicates it’s fake. Other indicators of the typical scam are there as well, such as urgency (hinting that only limited spots are there) and offering quick returns ($9000 return on $350 investment). While this video may not fool most users, it’s important to note that as AI advances, these deepfake videos will inevitably improve. This knowledge will help us stay prepared and informed.
Ad Distribution
While our analysts noticed the AI Scam ad being served through YouTube shorts, other discussion around the recent video highlighted its prevalence on Facebook as well. The advertisement presents as a video with no sound, which only becomes audible upon opening the web page. Our analysts have identified two domains being used, with the former already “burned”. Importantly, these were not newly registered domains, but ones with a history. This indicates that they were most likely unsecured websites that were used by legitimate organizations but had been compromised to serve these malicious ads.
- https://www.runwalsgardenvista.com
- https://thedarksideofcats.com
Upon clicking the link, the user will see a fake CBC page impersonating a known CBC reporter Aaron Wherry.
How Individuals Can Protect Themselves from AI Scams
When browsing the internet, you must protect yourself against scams and be aware of them. While the method and delivery of the scam have evolved, a lot of the indicators:
- Verify the source: Check if the article is published on the official CBC website or another legitimate platform.
- Be skeptical of guarantees: No legitimate investment opportunity promises “risk-free” income or specific returns.
- Do your research: Look up the supposed program or law independently to confirm its legitimacy.
- Avoid urgent requests: Scammers use urgency to pressure victims. Take time to verify claims.
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