A deepfake video circulated on Facebook showing UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer promoting a fraudulent investment scheme, using AI-generated audio and manipulated footage from his 2023 New Year address.
A deepfake video circulated on Facebook appears to show UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer promoting an investment scheme offering up to £40,000 monthly returns starting with just £250. The video uses footage from Starmer's genuine 2023 New Year address but replaces the original audio with AI-generated voice cloning. The fake audio promotes a 'new platform that offers a unique opportunity for residents of the United Kingdom to earn passive income' and was shared with captions claiming it was 'A special initiative by the UK government for all British citizens'. A spokesperson for Starmer confirmed the video is not genuine, and no such government investment scheme exists according to reliable sources. Audio expert Mike Russell from Music Radio Creative identified telltale signs including unnatural pronunciation of 'pounds' before numbers, which would be unusual for a native English speaker. Dr Dominic Lees from the University of Reading's Synthetic Media Research Network noted that the area around Starmer's mouth appears blurry, indicating poor lip syncing typical of deepfake videos. The incident represents part of a broader pattern of AI-generated fraudulent content targeting political figures to promote investment scams.
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.
AI system
Due to a decision or action made by an AI system
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed