Extortionists using facebook photos to create AI nudes says FBI

More scammers and blackmailers are creating deepfakes from people’s social media photos, the FBI warn. In a disturbing trend, criminals are using people’s images to put them into compromising videos and on porn sites in order to extort money from them.

The extortionists (sometimes called sextortionists) then threaten their victims with leaking the images and videos into the public space unless they pay them. Typically they obtain the victim’s photos through social media and then feed them into deepfake AI software to make fake videos and images.

Unfortunately, the deepfake content is often very convincing. Victims can still face considerable harm if the videos are released. “The FBI continues to receive reports from victims, including minor children and non-consenting adults, whose photos or videos were altered into explicit content. The photos or videos are then publicly circulated on social media or pornographic websites,” the statement says.

“As of April 2023, the FBI has observed an uptick in sextortion victims reporting the use of fake images or videos created from content posted on their social media sites or web postings,” says the alert. Sometimes the malicious actors skip the blackmail part altogether and post the content directly to pornographic sites without the consent or knowledge of the victim. Unfortunately, some of the victims have been minors.

The FBI recommends that parents monitor their children’s online and social media activity closely, including private messages. If anyone is a victim of this crime, they are to report it immediately to the authorities and then contact the hosting platform to request the removal of the content. In no way should you engage or comply with the blackmailers.

There have been a few high-profile cases recently of celebrities’ likenesses being used to create deepfake sexually explicit content without their consent. Some countries, such as the UK and China, have made it a criminal act to create deepfakes of a malicious nature without consent.

[Via Bleeping Computer]