“Don’t be fooled.” On Tuesday evening, youtuber Tibo InShape has warned its subscribers about a fake advert that misappropriates its image and that of journalist Anne-Claire Coudray, TF1 news presenter.
The fake video shows the youtuber France’s most followed advertising an online casino application, even though these games are banned in France. The video is presented in such a way as to make it look like a TF1 report.
As Tibo InShape writes, this is indeed a scam, using a technique of deepfake the voices of the youtuber and the journalist have been manipulated and added to their images. The swindlers make them say things they never said. As for the application featured in the ad, it no longer appears in either the Apple or Android catalogs.
Tibo InShape isn’t the first celebrity whose image has been hijacked to promote a scam. Kylian Mbappé, Alain Delon, Elise Lucet and singer Taylor Swift have all fallen victim to this type of scheme in recent months. With the proliferation of this type of content on social networks, how can you avoid being duped? A few simple reflexes can help you avoid most of these pitfalls.
“Synchronization problems
First of all, pay attention to the quality of the video. Even if the level of these tricks is improving day by day, “there are still problems of synchronization between the voice and the mouth”, stresses to 20 Minutes Jean-Jacques Latour, director of cybersecurity expertise at the government website cybermalveillance.gouv. This is the case in the video to which Tibo InShape is alerted: the youtuber’s fake voice is not coordinated with his mouth movements, as in a very bad dubbing.
However, sometimes “Internet users don’t pay attention to this discrepancy, because they’re used to having a poorly functioning network, with jerky videos”, continues the expert.
A quick Internet search
What other reflexes should you have? “Look at which account is posting the video: is it the official TF1 account or Tibo InShape?” Sometimes scammers create fake accounts that resemble those of celebrities. In this case, it’s advisable to go straight to the profile and look at the account’s other posts. If the account is new or has few posts, beware!
A simple technique is to search the Internet using the name of the product advertised. If dubious results appear, run away.
Baiting with money
You also need to look at the type of service or application the ad is promoting: most scams focus on financial products, such as the promotion of cryptocurrencies, online gaming, supposedly miraculous investments, or even health-related products.
If there is still any doubt about the authenticity of an online game promotion, Jean-Jacques Latour recommends visiting the website of the French National Gaming Authority, which lists authorized sites to offer these activities online. Online casinos are prohibited in France.
As Jean-Jacques Latour reminds us: “Santa Claus doesn’t exist! If the offer is too good to be true, it’s best to walk away, despite the temptation.
The risk is not only of losing money via payments on these apps, but also of passing on your personal and bank details to scammers. Another risk is downloading a “ info stealer “which steals some of your personal data, such as logins and passwords, without your knowledge.
Jean-Jacques Latour reminds us that behind these ads lies “organized crime”. So be careful with these fake videos.