Recently, in Malaysia, numerous ministers, high-ranking party officials, celebrities, media influencers, and even former Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Zeti have been impersonated by scam groups using AI techniques. In these videos, they are seen calling for investments, and those who believe the videos and invest end up losing their hard-earned money.
The Deputy Minister of Communications, Teo Nie Ching, revealed that the scam groups use Meta's paid advertisements to frequently show "investment scam videos endorsed by celebrities" on our Facebook feeds. Many people trust the words spoken by the celebrities in these videos, believing them to be genuine.
She pointed out that initially, these illegal groups only used face-swapping technology to impersonate social media influencers, investment advisors, famous businessmen, etc. Now, even cabinet ministers are not spared. "Even I myself have been impersonated."
In reality, with AI technology, what a person says in a video might be misappropriated. We now live in a time where "what you see and hear may not be true; everything could be falsified."
She jokingly said, "If Nga Kor Ming, Liu Zhen Dong, or I myself are really qualified to be your investment advisors, why are we still doing political work?"
Besides Teo Nie Ching, Housing Minister Nga Kor Ming and Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Liu Zhen Dong have also been impersonated. Upon discovering his identity being misused, MCA President Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong immediately clarified on Thursday: "I discovered that in the past week, unscrupulous individuals have abused AI technology to fabricate my image and voice, spreading false investment videos online to deceive the public into participating in investments."
Besides Teo Nie Ching, Housing Minister Nga Kor Ming and Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Liu Zhen Dong have also been impersonated. Upon discovering his identity being misused, MCA President Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong immediately clarified on Thursday: "I discovered that in the past week, unscrupulous individuals have abused AI technology to fabricate my image and voice, spreading false investment videos online to deceive the public into participating in investments."
"I have never participated in any form of investment projects, nor have I authorized anyone to conduct any investment activities in my name."
He urged the public to remain vigilant against AI scams and advised victims to report to the police immediately.
Last month, the public was even surprised to find a video of former Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Zeti speaking fluent Chinese "urging investments." In the video, Zeti introduces herself in fluent Chinese, saying, "I have worked in finance for over 40 years and witnessed Malaysia's economic transformation. Now retired, I focus on sharing finance and investment knowledge…." This video appeared on our Facebook.
The Deputy Minister of Communications, Teo Nie Ching, later revealed that the scam group had created a fake account under Zeti's name, releasing audio and video recordings impersonating the former Bank Negara leader using AI technology.
Current Affairs Commentator Ng Khee Chong: Impersonated to Share Stock Tips
Ng Khee Chong, often commenting on political affairs on social media, was also a victim. Searching "Ah Chong Brother" on Facebook, he unexpectedly found his name being misused for financial and stock planning links related to Malaysian stocks.
Ng Khee Chong, often commenting on political affairs on social media, was also a victim. Searching "Ah Chong Brother" on Facebook, he unexpectedly found his name being misused for financial and stock planning links related to Malaysian stocks.
The victim hurriedly reported to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and clarified that someone was impersonating him with his name and photos. They even used AI to generate videos, impersonating him to set up groups, teaching and sharing stock tips.
Deputy Minister of Communications, Teo Nie Ching: If We Were Investment Experts, Why Do Politics?
Teo Nie Ching emphasized that Malaysian ministers do not moonlight as investment advisors or "guru" mentors.
Teo Nie Ching emphasized that Malaysian ministers do not moonlight as investment advisors or "guru" mentors.
She said, "Don’t believe it! If any of us were really as successful in investments as claimed by the scammers, we'd all be millionaires and wouldn’t need to engage in politics."
"The modus operandi of these illegal groups is fundamentally the same. They first set up free investment groups, promising daily stock gain insights and painting a dream of earning RM100,000 in a month."
"But let me tell you, this is not a dream. This is actually a trap meticulously set by the fraudsters."