Aja Rock and other people around New Zealand have been victims of deep-fake videos. Video / NZ Herald
Realistic videos of Kiwi women created with deepfake technology are being used to scam unsuspecting friends and followers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
At least three Auckland women’s Instagram accounts have been hacked, and scammers have created videos of the women using their images and voices.
Former socialiteAja Rock is one of the victims, with a fake video of her promoting a bitcoin investment scheme posted online.
The deepfake video of Rock shows her speaking to the camera about the financial success she has had with supposed bitcoin adviser Mirabel Rodgers.
“Guys, I have something I really want to share with you today,” Rock says in the video.
“Um, I invested $1000 US dollars with Mirabel, and she advised me, and I now have $8500 in my account, so I’m really happy about that and I hope this video helps you.”
Rock told the Herald on Sunday she had warned as many people as she could she had been hacked and hoped no one had fallen for the scam.
Rock was well-known in the Auckland social scene and appeared on Celebrity Treasure Island in 2004, but more recently has been working as a busy mum of four.
“People who know me would know this just isn’t me, it’s not what I am into,” Rock said.
“I’m in the garden hanging out with my kids, not doing that sort of thing.”
Rock’s fake “success story” runs alongside other similar videos. It is assumed all of the videos are fake and use images and voices of social media users not involved in the scam.
Rock’s Instagram account with more than 3500 followers was hacked more than a week ago. She has tried without success to have it shut down.
“They [the hackers] have changed all my details and Instagram is not getting back to me,” Rock said.
“My main concern is other people are going to get caught up in it. I’m not really worried about getting my account back, but I don’t [want] other people to get scammed.”
Auckland woman Penny Swan’s account was hacked by the same people at the same time as Rock.
Posing as Swan, the hackers encouraged her friends to follow Mirabel Rodger’s advice and invest in bitcoin farming.
Instagram hackers used an image from Portia Swan's Givealittle page in the elaborate scam.
The convincing posts have already duped at least two of Swan’s friends into parting with more than $1000.
The hackers even posted a screengrab of Swan’s daughter Portia’s Givealittle page to make it look like the mum was grateful for the investment returns.
Portia, 14, was recently diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour, and the family has been fundraising for treatments.
“I have told my friends through my Facebook account not to engage with these sickos or give them any money - it is such an evil thing to do,” Swan said.
“They are doing a sensational job impersonating me.”
The elaborate scam included links to Mirabel Rodger’s page where investments could be made. The page features other deepfake videos from people celebrating their success stories.
Two friends had contacted Swan, upset, and said they were embarrassed, but they had fallen for the scam.
“One of them was a bit suspicious. so she asked screening questions and they knew the answers, so she thought it was me,” Swan said.
Auckland woman Tegan Stent has also had her account hacked, and scammers had created a convincing deepfake video of her.
“My account was hacked and my bank account drained on Christmas Eve 2021. It was overwhelming at the time, and I’m devastated this video has resurfaced,” Stent said.
“At the time, my friends were duped and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was terrible.”
A screenshot from the deepfake video of Tegan Stent that was used to dupe her friends in 2021 has resurfaced.
Stent said Instagram had done “absolutely nothing” to help shut down the hacked account and it was still being used today.
She had sent Instagram her passport details to prove her identity but no action had been taken.
Stent said she had researched Mirabel Rodgers and believes she is a legitimate financial adviser who is also the victim of identity theft by hackers.
The Herald on Sunday contacted Instagram and the hacked accounts are now under investigation.
Deepfakes are created using artificial intelligence (AI) and a target image. A person in an existing image or video is replaced with someone’s likeness.
AI is fed hundreds of videos and reference photos to generate a version of a person’s face that can be animated and made to say anything it is programmed to.
Deepfakes have been used in relatively harmless situations such as face swaps and memes, but can also be used with malicious intent in scams and identity theft.
