Cryptocurrency scammers have begun impersonating the Prime Minister of Canada in order to defraud people with low levels of technical literacy into taking over the assets.

Videos are popping up on Facebook where unknown people are trying to use Justin Trudeau's appearance to promote fraudulent cryptocurrency projects. For the deepfake, fragments of an interview that the politician gave to the CBC television channel in 2023 were taken. The scam ad uses an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated voice to show the fake Trudeau (who is actually an Ottawa native) speaking with a thick Australian accent. The scammers are advertising a government investment program that is only available to Canadian citizens. Only a limited number of people can take part, the scammers convince, they should hurry and follow the instructions of the unknown.

Aengus Bridgman, an associate professor at Canada's McGill University, believes that such schemes may seem meaningless to experienced users, but the implausibility of the voice is more a feature than a bug. The scientist believes that low video quality filters out critical thinkers, leaving the scammers' target audience engaged: gullible and inexperienced users willing to invest money in a scheme that seems plausible. The videos appear to be aimed at older people, who are more likely to be victims of phone scams and identity theft, says the associate professor:

“Cryptocurrency scam videos need to be realistic enough to lure someone in, and for those attracted to follow through. Even though the haphazardly stitched together videos of Trudeau may end up being a disaster for the creators, the government should be concerned about preventing the malicious use of technology.”

Recently, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed a way to combat deepfakes – personalized security questions for authentication that rely on human memory and personal relationships.