Scammers have found a new tactic by exploiting beloved local sports figures to deceive people.
Recently, Malaysian badminton legend Datuk Wira Lee Chong Wei alerted the public through his Facebook page about a deep fake video that falsely portrays him endorsing a financial scheme.
Photo via Facebook (Lee Chong Wei 李宗伟)
In his post, he exclaimed, "Stay vigilant! The lengths scammers are going to these days are unbelievable. I was stunned to see a fabricated video of me promoting a financial program. Moreover, there are numerous fake accounts impersonating me and my wife. Be cautious about what you read and watch."
He also expressed his sympathy for a former teammate who fell victim to a scam, urging authorities to implement measures to protect innocent people from such fraud.
To highlight the deception, Lee Chong Wei shared a side-by-side comparison of the authentic video of his television interview with Astro Arena and the altered deep fake video, which imitates a report by Astro Awani. In the genuine footage, he speaks in Bahasa Malaysia, whereas the deep fake shows him speaking English with a peculiar accent.
"The tricks scammers are employing nowadays are outrageous. I was astounded to see this counterfeit video of me supporting a financial scheme. On top of that, my wife's and my profiles are being hijacked by countless fake accounts," he stated, stressing the need for caution and hoping for effective solutions from the authorities to address this growing issue.
Please be alert!
It’s crazy what the scammers are doing these days. I’m shocked to see this fake video of me promoting a certain financial programme. Also, there are hundreds of fake accounts using me and my wife’s profile. So please be careful on what you are reading or watching. Also, I truly feel sorry for an ex-teammate who fall into scam herself. Hopefully, the authorities can come up with solutions before more innocent people are cheated. The things that scammers are doing these days are absurd. I was shocked to see this fictitious video of me endorsing a certain financial scheme. Furthermore, my wife's and my profiles are being used by hundreds of fraudulent accounts. Thus, please use caution when reading or watching anything. I also genuinely feel bad for an ex-teammate who became a victim of scamming. I hope the authorities can find solutions before more innocent individuals are taken advantage of. 越来越猖狂，现在用AI生成影片+声音，以假乱真，没仔细看的话很容易掉进骗局，大家真的要再三查证！ 过去一周骗子一直在利用我老婆的名义卖空调，很多人私信我们上当受骗，我们可以做的除了不停的report假账户，（问题是report一个FB关一个骗子再开十个），只能教育民众再三查证，我代言的产品只有在我这个有蓝勾勾的page！（我老婆的还在申请但是被FB拒绝，只能等30天后再申请） 网络生态世风日下，大家真的要提高警惕！ Semakin tidak masuk akal kes kes penipuan sekarang. Saya terkejut melihat video tipu ini yang menunjukkan saya yang menyokong skim kewangan tertentu. Tambahan pula, profil isteri saya dan saya sedang digunakan oleh ratusan akaun palsu. Sila berhati-hati semasa membaca atau menonton apa-apa. Saya juga berasa sedih dengan kes bekas rakan sepasukan yang menjadi mangsa penipuan. Saya harap pihak berkuasa dapat mencari penyelesaian sebelum lebih ramai individu diambil kesempatan. Sidenote : Kalaulah betul I boleh cakap English camtu, x jadi main badminton dah. Jadi peguam atau doktor sudah lo saya. Pelik juga. Rasa geram tu ada tapia da gak sikit rasa terpesona oleh Lee Chong Wei yang palsu dalam video ini. Hmm… tambah tambah lagi Kingston bole komen “ Eh papa, you dalam video lagi handsome dan proffessional daripada you orang sebenarnya”. Ciss…
Posted by Lee Chong Wei 李宗伟 on Thursday 6 June 2024
Malaysians are urged to be more vigilant and sceptical of the content they encounter online. Not everything seen or read on the internet is true, and it is crucial to verify information from reliable sources before believing or sharing it.
