DIGITAL LIFE

Maldita.es: How TikTok accounts are using artificial intelligence and Princess Leonor's image to offer supposed help and attempt scams

TikTok accounts are posting videos in which Princess Leonor appears offering supposed financial assistance, mainly aimed at people in Latin America.

The images and audio were created or manipulated using artificial intelligence. For example, the princess's voice was cloned to generate false statements.

The profiles ask users to share posts, contact them via WhatsApp, and pay a "fee" in advance to receive the supposedly promised money.

The Princess of Asturias Foundation released a statement warning about these "fake profiles."

"I invite you to write to me via private message, and there I can guide you and offer the help that we wholeheartedly dedicate to this," says Princess Leonor in a video circulating on TikTok, but it is not real: it is a deepfake (a video manipulated with artificial intelligence to impersonate a person). Like this one, there are other posts on the platform created or manipulated with artificial intelligence that use the image and voice of the heir to the Spanish throne to offer supposed million-dollar donations, mainly aimed at people in Latin America. In these videos and messages, the profiles ask users to pay a "fee" in advance as a condition for receiving the money.

The videos were generated or altered with artificial intelligence to clone the princess's voice and create false statements...These accounts use the image of Princess Leonor or the Princess of Asturias Foundation to offer supposed financial aid. The profiles detected on TikTok have three types of posts with a single objective: to steal money from users. First, they share videos that show signs of having been generated with artificial intelligence, such as skin texture without wrinkles or imperfections, as well as artificial hair movements or hair that blends into the face. They also feature an artificial glow that covers the entire image.

On the other hand, they publish synthetic videos created from real photographs of the princess, such as an image taken during the Constitution's inauguration ceremony in October 2023. In addition, they use real images of Princess Leonor with superimposed text detailing the alleged aid.

In videos generated or altered with artificial intelligence, Princess Leonor's voice has been cloned and synchronized with her lip movements to simulate statements she never made. In other cases, the content includes a metallic-sounding soundtrack that also plays false messages.

The profiles target people residing in Latin American countries and request an upfront payment to receive the alleged aid...The posts advertise supposed aid of US$50,000, US$100,000 and even US$1 million, although access to them requires following a series of steps. The profiles indicate that, to receive the money, you must first leave a comment stating your country of residence and how you intend to use the funds, and then send a direct message with your phone number. Other profiles, however, ask you to contact them directly via WhatsApp using the number listed in the description.

They also claim that, in order to deposit the money into the bank account, it is necessary to pay an alleged "tax" in advance, the amount of which varies according to the assistance requested.

Finally, these accounts ask users to "like" the post and share it with their contacts, which allows cybercriminals to amplify the spread of the scam.

According to an investigation by El País, the potential victim receives a call. "If the scammer is a man, he pretends to be Leonor's lawyer. If it is a woman, she pretends to be the princess herself," they say.

The Princess of Asturias Foundation has warned that it does not have any aid programs...In a statement on its website, the Princess of Asturias Foundation warned that it “does not have any financial aid programs, project subsidies, raffles or other mechanisms of a monetary nature” and that the heir to the throne does not “solicit, offer or manage financial contributions” through the Foundation. The warning states that these are “fake profiles and fraudulent communications”.

In statements to El País on how to avoid falling for these types of scams, the Online Fraud Investigation Group of the National Police's Cybercrime Unit made the following recommendations:

-Be careful with unofficial profiles.

-Be suspicious of social media accounts that offer money.

-Do not click on suspicious links from these types of profiles and do not provide them with any personal information.

-In turn, the Princess of Asturias Foundation advises anyone who may have been affected to contact the authorities.

https://maldita.es/timo/20260115/tiktok-princesa-leonor-ayudas-economicas/

mundophone