Singapore PM Lawrence Wong Warns People to Beware of Deepfake Videos

Recently, deepfake videos and images generated by artificial intelligence technology have appeared on the Internet, posing as Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to promote so-called investment services and products such as cryptocurrencies and Singapore permanent resident application services. The Prime Minister has warned about the fraudulent advertisements.

In a Facebook post, Wong said many of these scams are still spreading, some of which have been reported, and that he has seen them on his feed.

He said, “Do not respond to these scams or share any of your personal information.” Meanwhile, Wong encouraged users and victims to report these ads and scams to the police or through ScamShield.

“Let's stay vigilant online,” he cautioned.

In fact, this isn't the first time that a Prime Minister warns the public about deepfake videos. In June, 2024, then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned people not to trust his deepfake video via Facebook.

In the video, “Lee Hsien Loong” recommended an investment product with a guaranteed profit.

However, Lee clarified that the video was not made by him, but was a fake video generated by artificial intelligence technology. He said, “This is extremely worrying: people watching the video may be fooled into thinking that I really said those words.”

Not only in Singapore, deepfake has raised concerns among financial regulators and police in several countries around the world. Recently, Malaysian police uncovered several deepfake videos posing as government officials and well-known businessmen, which attempted to get people to participate in an investment scheme supposedly endorsed by the Malaysian government.