Deepfake warning: viral videos impersonate BBC and others

Which? warns social media users to beware of deepfake videos out to scam you.

A deepfake video is when a person's face or body has been digitally manipulated using artificial intelligence to appear to be someone else. These videos have become increasingly commonplace on social media platforms and are difficult to spot.

Fraud prevention organisation Cifas recently reported that many organisations are concerned about the potential growth in AI-generated fraud that lead to sophisticated phishing scams and synthetic identities.

It also warned that criminals are finding new and sophisticated ways to target consumers, including through deepfake technology. This is something Which? has also warned about, including in our investigation last year revealing how AI chatbots can be used to write convincing scam messages. 

Below, we investigate two deepfake videos we found on social media to reveal some of the tactics scammers are using to hoodwink victims.

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Fake BBC video

A deepfake video appearing on Facebook imitates a BBC News broadcast. 

The presenter tells you that a single mum has become a millionaire.

It's a blatant promotion for an app called ‘Jellys Rush’, where the video claims that the chances of winning a jackpot prize using the app ‘have increased by 350%’.

The video also claims that every new player is ‘guaranteed to win £10,000 or more within the first three days’ in a promotion that will run until the end of April.

Dodgy online casino app

Jellys Rush describes itself as an ‘adventure game’. 

We downloaded the game for the purposes of our investigation, but we don't recommend that you download any dodgy apps as they can contain malware that could infect your device.

 The app appears like a game, but we couldn’t operate it. The game then presented a pop-up on the screen with an opportunity to make money. We were asked to spin a wheel to get ‘free spins’. After this, we were asked to scratch three cards to claim a bonus. 

We were then directed to 'Jokabet', an online casino. We downloaded the app again and were directed to 'KingHills', another online casino. With each downloaded, we were either redirected to the Jokabet or KingHills registration pages.

Both websites have mixed reviews. On Trustpilot, several reviewers have complained about not being able to withdraw money from Jokabet and KingsHill, and neither company is on the Gambling Commission's register or Companies House.

We contacted the app’s developer as well as Jokabet and KingsHill and didn’t receive any responses.

When we contacted Apple, it removed the app from the App Store and the developer from its Apple Developer Program.

It told us that apps with hidden or undocumented features, or the ability to change after review, are prohibited from the App Store and subject for removal.

BBC and Elon Musk deepfake video

Another advert on Facebook and also on Instagram imitates a BBC News report and tells you of a new 'investment initiative that has already turned hundreds of people into millionaires'.

It goes on to show a clip of Elon Musk promoting a get-rich scheme called Quantum AI, which you are told has 'the potential to turn anyone into a millionaire within three to four months'.

We've warned about Quantum AI before. It's a scam company that we've found targeting potential victims through apps and social media adverts.

Why are deepfake videos so hard to spot?

Deepfake videos are hard to spot because they feature trusted and familiar people, places and brands. They're dotted through our social media feeds and can catch us when our guards are down.

Sometimes, the videos are shared by family members, friends and contacts who we trust, making them even more believable. So it's only on further inspection that we may notice small glitches and start to have doubts of their legitimacy. 

Digital security and identity company ID Crypt Global commissioned a survey of 1,221 members of the UK population, asking them about their knowledge of deepfake videos.

It found that almost half of respondents are unfamiliar with the term ‘deepfake’ and less than one in 10 people have absolute confidence that they can tell a real video from a fake one.

This emphasises the importance of tech companies working to prevent deepfakes from appearing on their platforms in the first place.

We shared these videos with Meta. It said: 'We have removed the violating content brought to our attention. We don’t permit content that intentionally deceives or seeks to defraud others, and we’re constantly working to improve detection and enforcement.

'We encourage anyone who sees content that might violate our policies to report it so we can investigate and take action.'

Spotting and reporting deepfake videos

Some signs that a video might be a deepfake are:

• Poor lip-syncing - watch the video carefully for whether people's mouths really match what they're saying.
• Details are off in some way - does the hair, lighting and skin tone of the person look believable? Is there any blurring in the video?
• Something doesn't sound right - listen for strange background noises or robotic voices.
• Unnatural expressions - it's hard to mimic natural blinking, and AI often lacks facial emotion and body movements can seem off.
• The video's source or who it's been posted by - if it's not an official account or if it's an account you've never heard of, and you haven't seen the video anywhere else, be wary.

To report apps on the Apple App Store, visit Apple's 'Report a problem' website. 

To report an app on Google Play, go to the details page of the app, tap ‘more’, flag it as inappropriate, choose a reason and then tap submit.

You can report dodgy posts or ads on Facebook by selecting the three dots in the top right corner of the post and pressing ‘Report’.

If you become the victim of a scam, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your bank card and report it to Action Fraud, or call the police on 101 if you’re in Scotland.