Manipulated RTL video falsely claims Luxembourg youth are quitting jobs en masse

Fake advertisements using images or videos from well-known news outlets to appear legitimate have become a common occurrence on social media, particularly on Instagram.

Scammers leveraging the aesthetics and credibility of established news platforms is not a new phenomenon, both globally and domestically. These manipulated posts typically aim to spread misinformation or promote dubious products and ideas.

Recently, a new campaign of this nature surfaced on Instagram. A sponsored post from an account named "Helen Sergivna", created in January 2025, featured a doctored video using the likeness of RTL Télé news anchor Sascha Georges. The account has since been removed from Instagram after the ad was posted last weekend.

What did the post claim?

The post claimed that young Luxembourg residents were quitting their jobs en masse. It posed questions such as, "Why are they doing it? What are the consequences?" and urged users to click quickly before the post disappeared.

In the short clip, the anchor, speaking in poor German, stated, "Luxembourg authorities are unable to do anything about it, and parents are shocked. More and more children are dropping out of school, and yet there is nothing illegal about it." Many elements suggest the video, which is no longer accessible, was produced using artificial intelligence. A recent fact-check by AFP highlighted the growing use of AI to create fake news or deepfakes, which manipulate real footage to place individuals in entirely fabricated scenarios.

Original clip dates back to 2 February 2025

The original broadcast from which the clip was taken aired on 2 February 2025 and had no connection to the claims made in the fake post. In the authentic segment, Georges introduced a report on the Autosfestival. Comparisons of the Instagram screenshot with the original footage reveal that the manipulated video aligns with the report after 12 seconds. The clothing and positioning of Georges also match, strongly indicating that this sequence was used as the basis for the misinformation.

What was changed?

Aside from the news anchor speaking Luxembourgish in the original and poor German in the fake, several other discrepancies stand out, particularly in the background image meant to illustrate the topic. While the red car next to the journalist was retained, the rest of the image was altered. In the original, a salesperson appears to show a car to a couple, but in the fake, this was replaced with an image of a young blond woman standing in front of a luxury vehicle.

A closer comparison of the two images reveals that certain elements were removed during the editing process. As is standard for a news broadcast, the original features the RTL Luxembourg logo in the upper right corner and the "De Journal" overlay in the bottom left. While the "De Journal" overlay was preserved in the fake, the RTL logo disappeared, as the new image – better suited to the fabricated narrative – was superimposed over it.

Where does the inserted image originate from?

The inserted image could mislead viewers into assuming that young Luxembourg residents who dropped out of school or quit their jobs are earning enough to afford luxury goods. A reverse image search on Google traces the photo back to a July 2020 article in the British tabloid The Sun about Alex Hirschi, a TV host, blogger, and influencer. Hirschi, who runs the Instagram account "Supercarblondie," originally posted the image as part of her content, which often features her posing alongside and testing expensive cars.

Conclusion: RTL did not air a report about young people quitting their jobs

The report suggested in the fake video was never produced by RTL Luxembourg. Instead, the RTL layout was misused to promote a fabricated narrative. This incident underscores the importance of vigilance among internet and social media users, particularly when encountering content that blurs the line between reality and deception.