A disturbing example of how artificial intelligence is being used to spread misinformation has surfaced in a fake video circulating on social media.
The video features RTL Télé journalist Mariette Zenners speaking in German about an allegedly "important" project involving Gaston Reinesch, the Governor of the Luxembourg Central Bank. The deceptive content falsely claims that individuals can earn a minimum of €7,000 per week without financial expertise or investment knowledge. Notably, while the video discusses Luxembourg, the graphics depict Switzerland, and the entire presentation is in German.
CAUTION! THIS IS A FAKE VIDEO
"It's alarming"
Reacting to the video, RTL Télé journalist Mariette Zenners expressed shock, stating, "It's alarming to see how realistic these videos can appear and how dangerous they are." People can easily be misled by such fake videos if they do not take the time to watch them carefully and question them.
Tom Weber, CTO of RTL, warns that such fake videos will appear more and more frequently in the future. If you have doubts about content on social networks, verify its authenticity by visiting the original source to see if the article is actually there. Similar videos may soon start appearing in Luxembourgish too, although AI is already much more advanced in languages such as German, English, and French. The risks posed are correspondingly greater.
Stolen footage manipulated in fake video
The creators of the fraudulent video used footage from RTL broadcasts, incorporating segments from various programmes adorned with the old RTL logo. The video depicts Gaston Reinesch, Governor of the Luxembourg Central Bank, purportedly discussing a financial project in the RTL Radio studio. However, the original audio has been replaced with a German version. It is highly likely that AI was employed in the production, as not only was Reinesch's voice mimicked, but his lip movements approximately synchronise with the German audio. A discerning eye can observe unnatural mouth movements, but the deception can easily fool the unsuspecting viewer.
The fabricated content of the video promotes a project promising escalating returns with a minimal up-front payment. According to the video, over 5,000 Luxembourg households have already enrolled and are allegedly earning €7,000 weekly. Viewers are encouraged to complete a form for a personal manager to contact them, reinforcing urgency with claims of limited availability.
Reminder: This is completely fake!
Beware of falling victim to videos like this. If you encounter similar content on social media, report it as "Fake" or "Scam." You can also forward the link to RTL via red[at]rtl.lu, and we will report it too.
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