Who harmed My Tam and Son Tung?

The problem of AI impersonating celebrities to scam people is causing serious concern in Vietnamese showbiz. Numerous artists have spoken out to protect themselves and warn their fans.

One evening in early November, while browsing on her phone, artist Hanh Thuy (49 years old) was shocked to read a message. Someone had taken photos she had posted on social media and created a fake account, then messaged many of Hanh Thuy's colleagues to borrow money.

Immediately, Hanh Thuy posted an urgent announcement about the situation she was facing on her personal page. She also quickly reported the incident to the authorities for handling.

“The scammers’ methods are very sophisticated. They mimic every way I text and talk to deceive my colleagues. Luckily, I discovered it in time. As soon as I posted the urgent announcement, many other artists were also upset and said they had encountered similar situations more than once. Most recently, actor Bá Thắng cried because he was scammed out of 35 million VND using a similar method,” the female artist recounted.

It's not just Hanh Thuy, but a whole host of Vietnamese stars, from   My Tam   From Hoa Minzy, Duc Phuc, Viet Huong… to others, there have been consecutive posts warning fans. Meanwhile, Son Tung's image was faked in a reality show, forcing the singer's team to immediately issue a correction.

Vietnamese showbiz is flooded with warnings.

Recently, many celebrities have become targets of online scams through impersonation on social media. The latest case involves TV presenter Hoài Anh.

On the evening of November 11th, the female TV presenter posted a lengthy message on her personal page to urgently announce that numerous fake accounts were impersonating her and using her image to commit fraud. These pages used names similar to hers and reposted almost all of her images and articles from her official page.

Hoài Anh said that in recent days, she has received many messages from friends and colleagues warning about these fake pages. In particular, one of these pages even urged viewers to transfer money to invest in stocks. She affirmed that she only uses one verified personal Facebook account under the name "Nguyen Hoai Anh," along with a fan page called "Editor Hoai Anh," which she created in October.

"There are quite a few fake pages, but this one seems to be impersonating Hoai Anh, urging people to transfer money to invest in stocks. This is quite serious because this account is not just faking content or getting views and likes, but has a tendency towards fraud," Hoai Anh added.

My Tam, Son Tung, and many other stars have been impersonated. Photo: FBNV.

The method used by the scammers targeting Hoai Anh is similar to that used by many other celebrities. These individuals utilize deepfake technology, which allows them to create videos and audio of celebrities to the point of being unrecognizable. These AI products are then exploited for fraud, promoting illegal goods, stealing users' personal information, or tricking users into downloading malware.

These actions have a serious and direct impact on the image and reputation of celebrities. Furthermore, some artists have also been victims of scams.

In the past few months, almost every day at least one artist has spoken out on their personal page to warn the public. However, this problem is becoming increasingly serious, with sophisticated and unpredictable tactics.

A few days ago, Vietnamese singer My Tam faced a situation where AI impersonated her voice to promote illegal products. Through her management company, My Tam affirmed that she is cooperating with the platforms to remove the infringing content and is also working with law enforcement agencies to intervene and handle the case.

"We urge our viewers to be vigilant about unofficial content from the company and to report any similar content or behavior they discover. Viewers should be cautious to avoid being scammed into buying harmful counterfeit products, which could lead to unfortunate incidents," the singer emphasized.

In late August, artist Hong Dao also expressed her frustration about numerous fake social media accounts impersonating her image to create fan pages selling weight-loss drugs and products. These pages attracted thousands of followers.

Mac Van Khoa, MC Lai Van Sam, Dan Truong, Ly Hai, and many other Vietnamese artists have also expressed concern about a series of fake websites impersonating their names to advertise dietary supplements, wealth-building courses, high-interest loan apps, etc. Among them, actor Mac Van Khoa said he was particularly worried that AI technology could create such realistic fakes that many people would easily be deceived without realizing it.

"Khoa just received a video of an AI impersonating him. It faked his face and voice, using completely false statements. Everyone, please be careful. If you see any unusual information online, please report it and let Khoa know so he can warn others to avoid unfortunate incidents," he wrote.

The unluckiest person was undoubtedly actor Ba Thang. Due to carelessness and a failure to verify the information, Ba Thang immediately transferred 35 million VND to the scammer, unaware that it was a fake account impersonating his colleague.

"What am I supposed to cry about? I was tricked just because I trusted people too much," Ba Thang sadly shared on his personal page.

A star's nightmare

For many years, hundreds of celebrities worldwide have faced the nightmare of AI-powered scams. The forms of exploitation employed by cybercriminals include: financial fraud; creating malicious content; and commercial forgery. Most commonly, fraudsters create deepfake voices or videos of celebrities to solicit investments in fake projects (cryptocurrency, charities) or even swindle the victims' friends and family.

Furthermore, these individuals also create pornographic content, causing serious damage to the honor, careers, and image of celebrities.

In October 2024, security software company McAfee published a list of the top 10 most frequently impersonated celebrities, including big names like...   Scarlett Johansson,   Kylie Jenner   and Taylor Swift.

Pop star Taylor Swift is frequently targeted by scams involving the unauthorized use of her name and image. These scams include impersonating the singer to promote illegal products, concert ticket fraud, defrauding fans of fake tickets, or giving away counterfeit merchandise.

Earlier this year, a 53-year-old French interior designer named Anne recounted her experience for the first time in an interview with   Seven to Eight   On the French channel TF1, Anne said she was first contacted on Instagram by someone claiming to be Pitt's mother. "She told me that her son needed someone like me," Anne said.

A few days later, an account claiming to be Pitt contacted her. "At first, I told myself it was fake, ridiculous. But I wasn't used to social media and really didn't understand what was happening to me," Anne recalled.

The scammers told Anne that Pitt needed money to pay for kidney treatment, but he couldn't afford it himself because divorce proceedings had frozen his bank account. To convince Anne that Pitt was actually behind the account, the scammers sent him an AI-generated, digitally altered image of the actor lying in a hospital bed to verify his identity. Believing she and Pitt were in a romantic relationship, Anne eventually sent the image to the scammers.   850,000 USD .

Similarly, Johnny Depp also warned fans about scammers using AI to impersonate him. The actor said that many social media accounts and emails impersonating him and members of his team are trying to contact people and trick them into transferring money.

According to   According to People magazine in 2018, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission warned about the problem of impersonation of celebrities on social media. Many stars have taken legal action to punish these scammers. However, with increasingly sophisticated methods and the rapid development of artificial intelligence, this problem remains unresolved. This has become a nightmare for hundreds of stars worldwide .

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/ai-hai-my-tam-son-tung-3384322.html