Photo: Reddot Wire newsroom (illustrative demo image)
A familiar face, a fake voice: deepfake scam videos are now impersonating Singapore’s own news anchors
Cloned clips of trusted presenters are being stitched onto investment pitches. The technology is cheap, the damage is not, and the takedowns are always a step behind.
The newest wave of investment scams does not bother with broken English or a stranger’s number. It borrows a face the audience already trusts — a familiar presenter, a recognisable voice — and grafts it onto a slick pitch for a scheme that does not exist. The clips are convincing for exactly as long as it takes to part someone from their savings.
The economics are the problem. Generating a passable clone now costs almost nothing and takes minutes, while the platforms that host the clips remove them slowly and the scammers simply re-upload. Victims who recognised the face assumed the endorsement was real, which is the entire point of using a known presenter in the first place.
Police and the presenters themselves have taken to issuing public warnings — if you see a familiar name promising guaranteed returns, treat it as a forgery until proven otherwise. The broader fix, researchers argue, will need faster platform takedowns and clearer provenance signals, neither of which has arrived at the speed the scams have.
