AI-generated deepfake videos impersonating Cyprus President Nicos Christodoulides and other high-profile figures were used in fraudulent investment schemes that scammed approximately 15 Cypriots out of €10,000-€15,000 each.
Scammers created AI-generated deepfake videos impersonating Cyprus President Nicos Christodoulides alongside politicians Averof Neophytou and Haris Georgiades to promote fake investment platforms. Around 15 people in Cyprus lost between €10,000 and €15,000 after falling for these fraudulent schemes. The scams occurred over several months, with additional deepfake videos created impersonating business figures like Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou (easyGroup founder), singer Anna Vissi, ECB President Christine Lagarde, and businessman John Christodoulou. One scheme in March involved a fake company called 'easyProfit' offering cryptocurrency returns up to 96%. In August, scammers used a fake Facebook page impersonating Phileleftheros newspaper with presenter Sakis Tanimanidis promoting a fraudulent app. A separate incident involved a deepfake video of Donald Trump speaking in English, promising to help Cyprus, which many citizens believed was real. Giorgos Michailidis, Commissioner of the Digital Security Authority, warned that no tools exist to protect people from such AI-generated fraud and that detection is becoming increasingly difficult as the technology improves.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to gain a personal advantage over others such as through cheating, fraud, scams, blackmail or targeted manipulation of beliefs or behavior. Examples include AI-facilitated plagiarism for research or education, impersonating a trusted or fake individual for illegitimate financial benefit, or creating humiliating or sexual imagery.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed