Scam alert · October 25, 2026
The Person in the Video Said It. That Does Not Mean They Said It.
AI-generated videos can make trusted public figures appear to endorse fake investments and products. Learn the family rule to use before clicking or paying.
Read this in five minutes. Then talk about it with someone you care about.
The video appears to show someone you recognize: a news anchor, athlete, politician, business leader, doctor, or online personality.
They describe a new investment platform, health product, government program, or limited opportunity. Their face moves. Their voice sounds familiar. The clip may even appear inside what looks like a television interview or news report.
Then the ad asks you to click.
The person may never have recorded those words. Their face, voice, and reputation may have been borrowed by a scammer using artificial intelligence.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and Competition Bureau have warned that criminals use AI-generated impersonations of public figures and government officials to promote merchandise and investment opportunities. The Federal Trade Commission has also warned about doctored celebrity and influencer endorsements used to sell products and money-making schemes.
The important shift is this: seeing and hearing a familiar person is no longer enough to prove that the message came from them.
Why this works
An endorsement transfers trust. We may know very little about an unfamiliar company, but we feel as if we know the person speaking for it.
The video can also borrow the appearance of journalism. A fake clip may include a studio set, captions, a network logo, or fragments of a real interview. Sponsored placement on a major social platform can make the advertisement feel screened or approved.
Scammers then add familiar pressure:
- a limited number of openings
- a secret system ordinary investors have not discovered
- guaranteed or unusually high returns
- a product supposedly being suppressed by powerful interests
- comments from people claiming they already made money
- a warning that the video or offer may soon be removed
The deepfake attracts attention, but urgency is what tries to turn attention into action.
Do not make detection the whole defense
Some altered videos contain clues: mismatched audio, unnatural facial movement, odd blinking, inconsistent lighting, or words that seem out of character. Those clues are worth noticing, but they are not a dependable family safety plan.
AI-generated media will keep improving. A convincing video may have no obvious visual defect. A real celebrity may also have appeared in an advertisement without understanding the product, or the genuine endorsement may still promote an unsuitable or risky investment.
The better question is not only, “Is this video fake?” It is, “Can we verify this offer without using anything provided by the video?”
The independent-source rule
Before clicking, registering, downloading an app, or sending money:
- Leave the advertisement. Do not use its link, QR code, phone number, or comments.
- Search for the claim independently. Use the public figure's verified website or established account and the official website of the organization supposedly involved.
- Search the names with warning terms. Try the public figure, company, and product name with words such as “scam,” “fake,” “complaint,” or “deepfake.”
- Verify an investment professional. In the United States, use Investor.gov and FINRA BrokerCheck. In Canada, use the National Registration Search and the appropriate provincial or territorial securities regulator.
- Reject guarantees and pressure. Every investment involves risk. A famous face cannot make guaranteed returns possible.
Do not trust the comments beneath the ad as independent proof. Scammers can create fake testimonials, remove warnings, or use multiple accounts to manufacture enthusiasm.
If you clicked or paid
Stop communicating with the promoter. Do not send an additional payment to release profits, pay taxes, verify an account, or recover the first payment.
If you entered a password, change it immediately anywhere it was used and enable multi-factor authentication. If you downloaded an app or gave someone remote access, disconnect the device from the internet and seek trusted technical help. Contact your financial institution, card issuer, payment service, or cryptocurrency exchange quickly and explain that the transaction may involve fraud.
Save the advertisement, video, account name, website address, messages, receipts, wallet addresses, and transaction records. Report the ad to the platform. In Canada, report suspected fraud to local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. In the United States, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and, when appropriate, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov or the SEC.
Talk about it tonight
Show your family a normal online advertisement and ask: “If this person appeared to recommend an investment or product, how would we verify it without clicking this ad?”
Agree on the rule: a video can introduce a claim, but it cannot verify itself.
If an endorsement, product offer, or investment pitch feels questionable, use The Scam Hotline Scam Detector to examine its claims and pressure tactics. Do not upload private recordings, identification, financial details, account numbers, or other sensitive information to any online tool.