Scammers used AI to create deepfake videos featuring a manipulated image and voice of Uruguayan footballer Luis Suarez and a Telemundo reporter to promote a fraudulent investment scheme falsely associated with Uruguay's state electricity company UTE.
In late December 2024, a fraudulent investment scam circulated on Meta platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Threads) using AI-generated deepfake technology to manipulate video content. The scam featured a fake news report from U.S. Hispanic network Telemundo, with AI-altered images and voice of Uruguayan footballer Luis Suarez endorsing a fraudulent investment opportunity. The deepfake video claimed UTE (Uruguay's state electricity company) had developed a project to solve financial problems for all Uruguayans, promising returns of 175,000 pesos monthly from an initial investment of 10,400 pesos. The fraudulent advertisements were promoted through various social media profiles, including one called 'Braziko' managed by Ukrainian accounts, with ads running for 5-8 hours on January 10th. Clicking the ads directed users to a fake website (uteinvst.online) containing an apocryphal article from Spanish newspaper El Pais, which then led to a phishing portal mimicking UTE's official website complete with fake government ministry logos. The fake site included a fabricated message from UTE's president Silvia Emaldi and collected personal data and payment information from victims. The domain was registered on November 17th by a Latvian company called Podoroznyk, which operates at least 265 similar fraudulent domains. UTE issued official warnings on December 26th and again in January, advising citizens not to provide personal information and confirming the content was fraudulent.
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