In a Facebook post on 2 June, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong denounced a deepfake video circulating on social media that falsely depicted him promoting an investment scam.
The ad, which appeared to feature the senior minister, asked viewers to sign up for an investment product that promises guaranteed returns.
Source: Lee Hsien Loong on Facebook
The scammers had replicated SM Lee’s voice and overlaid the fake audio onto actual footage of his National Day Message from last year, synchronizing his mouth movements with the audio.
“The video is not real,” SM Lee wrote in his post.
SM Lee expressed concern about the rapid advancements in AI and deepfake technology.
“This is extremely worrying: people watching the video may be fooled into thinking that I really said those words,” he wrote.
Source: Lee Hsien Loong on Facebook
He reminded the public to be cautious if an offer sounds too good to be true.
“If you see or receive scam ads of me or any other Singapore public office holder promoting an investment product, please do not believe them,” the senior minister added.
Additionally, SM Lee noted that scammers can be reported through the government’s ScamShield Bot on WhatsApp.
SM Lee also used the post to thank the public for alerting him to the scam.
“We must stay vigilant in order to protect ourselves and the ones around us,” he reminded.
Also read: Elderly man nearly scammed of S$150K, saved by S’pore bank employee who blocked his transaction
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Featured image adapted from Lee Hsien Loong on Facebook
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