A Florida man is on the verge of losing his home and his marriage after falling prey to a scam including Elon Musk deepfakes.
What's happening?
News 6 detailed how 69-year-old George Hendricks from Leesburg, Florida, had his life unravel after commenting on Facebook in an Elon Musk car giveaway group. He received a message claiming he had won a new car and $100,000.
The communication then switched to WhatsApp at the scammers' request, allowing them to chat with him in a private, encrypted forum. Hendricks was sent personalized deepfake videos that appeared to be from Elon Musk.
With Hendricks buying into the legitimacy of the Musk name and imagery, the scammers systematically pounced. First, they demanded a $7,500 shipping fee. Then they instructed him to send an additional $37,000 or so for supposed investment opportunities.
When he questioned them, they sent seemingly earnest deepfake Musk videos. Hendricks ultimately obliged, straining his credit card balances and bank accounts. After his $100,000 prize and car never materialized, Hendricks reported the scam to the Leesburg Police Department.
"I know it's going on all the time, you just never think it's going to be you," Hendricks reflected, per News 6.
Why is the trend of deepfake scams important?
It's important to remember these are real human beings facing devastating consequences. Hendricks says being duped jeopardized his marriage of 39 years and may lead to losing his home. He told News 6 his life "doesn't really exist" after the fallout.
The rise of deepfake technology is undoubtedly contributing to increasing fraud cases. Elon Musk's likeness is fast-becoming one of the key tools, as CBS News reported.
If Musk himself is wary of deepfakes, his desire to promote freedom of speech may have set back efforts to combat this troubling trend. He threw a fit after the EU fined X, the social media platform he owns, for deceptive designs around blue checkmarks.
The EU alleges that the verification for unvetted users can lead to fake accounts proliferating deepfakes and other pieces of misinformation.
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Elon is the man 🥰 Musk had better luck in California, where he won a battle against restrictions around deepfakes on X during elections, per Politico.
The saga also shows how digital communication and technology are empowering scammers. Cryptocurrency scams are a new way to prey on victims' naivete around the tech.
What's being done about deepfake scams?
To combat such scams, consumers should take the time to research unfamiliar companies. When it comes to deepfakes, there are flaws in the tech to seek out.
ThreatLocker's security enablement lead, Kieran Human, told News 6 that many deepfakes lack realistic bodily or neck movement. Still, that might be a thing of the past as AI progresses and deepfakes improve.
"It's just going to be a matter of time until people do start adding that breathing to the videos, and people are just going to have to be more cautious," Human concluded.
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