Al Roker by no means had a coronary heart assault. He doesn’t have hypertension. But in the event you watched a latest deepfake video of him that unfold across Facebook, you would possibly assume in any other case.
In a latest phase on NBC’s TODAY, Roker revealed {that a} pretend AI-generated video was utilizing his picture and voice to advertise a bogus hypertension remedy—claiming, falsely, that he had suffered “a couple of heart attacks.”
“A buddy of mine despatched me a hyperlink and stated, ‘Is this real?’” Roker told investigative correspondent Vicky Nguyen. “And I clicked on it, and all of a sudden, I see and hear myself talking about having a couple of heart attacks. I don’t have hypertension!”
The fabricated clip seemed and sounded convincing sufficient to idiot family and friends—together with a few of Roker’s superstar friends. “It looks like me! I mean, I can tell that it’s not me, but to the casual viewer, Al Roker’s touting this hypertension cure… I’ve had some celebrity friends call because their parents got taken in by it.”
While Meta shortly eliminated the video from Facebook after being contacted by TODAY, the injury was finished. The incident highlights a rising concern within the digital age: how simple it’s to create—and consider—convincing deepfakes.
“We used to say, ‘Seeing is believing.’ Well, that’s kind of out the window now,” Roker stated.
From Al Roker to Taylor Swift: A New Era of Scams
Al Roker isn’t the primary public determine to be focused by deepfake scams. Taylor Swift was lately featured in an AI-generated video selling pretend bakeware gross sales. Tom Hanks has spoken out a few pretend dental plan advert that used his picture with out permission. Oprah, Brad Pitt, and others have confronted comparable exploitation.
These scams don’t simply confuse viewers—they will defraud them. Criminals use the belief individuals place in acquainted faces to advertise pretend merchandise, lure them into shady investments, or steal their private data.
“It’s frightening,” Roker instructed his co-anchors Craig Melvin and Dylan Dreyer. Craig added: “What’s scary is that if this is where the technology is now, then five years from now…”
Nguyen demonstrated simply how easy it’s to create a pretend utilizing free on-line instruments, and introduced in BrandShield CEO Yoav Keren to underscore the purpose: “I think this is becoming one of the biggest problems worldwide online,” Keren stated. “I don’t think that the average consumer understands…and you’re starting to see more of these videos out there.”
Why Deepfakes Work—and Why They’re Dangerous
According to McAfee’s State of the Scamiverse report, the common American sees 2.6 deepfake movies per day, with Gen Z seeing as much as 3.5 each day. These scams are designed to be plausible—as a result of the know-how makes it doable to repeat somebody’s voice, mannerisms, and expressions with scary accuracy.
And it doesn’t simply have an effect on celebrities:
- Scammers have faked CEOs to authorize fraudulent wire transfers.
- They’ve impersonated relations in disaster to steal cash.
- They’ve carried out pretend job interviews to reap private knowledge.
How to Protect Yourself from Deepfake Scams
While the know-how behind deepfakes is advancing, there are nonetheless methods to identify—and cease—them:
- Watch for odd facial expressions, stiff actions, or lips out of sync with speech.
- Listen for robotic audio, lacking pauses, or unnatural pacing.
- Look for lighting that appears inconsistent or poorly rendered.
- Verify stunning claims by means of trusted sources—particularly in the event that they contain cash or well being recommendation.
And most significantly, be skeptical of superstar endorsements on social media. If it appears out of character or too good to be true, it most likely is.
How McAfee’s AI Tools Can Help
McAfee’s Deepfake Detector, powered by AMD’s Neural Processing Unit (NPU) within the new Ryzen™ AI 300 Series processors, identifies manipulated audio and video in actual time—giving customers a vital edge in recognizing fakes.
This know-how runs domestically in your system for quicker, personal detection—and peace of thoughts.
Al Roker’s expertise reveals simply how private—and persuasive—deepfake scams have grow to be. They blur the road between reality and fiction, concentrating on your belief within the individuals you admire.
With McAfee, you’ll be able to combat again.
