Indonesian victims defrauded via deepfake Prabowo Subianto videos on Instagram and TikTok

Summary

Victims in Indonesia were swindled by scams using deepfake videos of President Prabowo Subianto, which appeared to show him offering financial aid. The scam, uncovered by police in February, involved fake Instagram and TikTok videos posted as early as November, prompting victims to send money via WhatsApp for aid that never arrived. At least 20 provinces were affected, with victims paying between Rp 250,000 and Rp 1 million ($15–$60) as an “administrative fee.” A suspect was arrested and had collected Rp 65 million ($4,000) from the scam, while another individual was detained for a similar deepfake-related fraud. The deepfake videos continued to circulate on social media, including TikTok, with some accounts amassing millions of views. Experts noted the rise in deepfake scams is due to increasingly accessible AI tools, making it harder to distinguish fake from real content.