TOKYO, Apr 11 (News On Japan) –
Unauthorized use of pictures and voices in “fake advertisements” on social media is on the rise, with entrepreneurs Yusaku Maezawa and Takafumi Horie urging swift motion to stamp them out.
Investment Fraud on Social Media Results in 27.8 Billion Yen in Damages
Maezawa and Horie visited the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Nagatacho on Wednesday, known as upon by a celebration committee.
Former Digital Minister Takuya Hirai acknowledged, “We like to think we can spot lies, but even we can be fooled. Considering the healthy development of the internet, we cannot overlook this issue.”
Have you seen adverts like this on social media lately?
Fake Ad Example
“Hello. I’m ‘Yusawa Zenzaku,’ introducing a new investment project that promises high income to Japanese people. This project is based on artificial intelligence and can ensure success in ‘governmental deception.’ No special skills are required. Join the project now and achieve effortless income in a matter of days.”
There are additionally faux adverts purportedly from Horie.
Fake Ad Example
“Investors worldwide believe now is the best time to trade FX.”
While some adverts might look unnatural at a look, their widespread theme entails “investment.” These are all misleading adverts.
SNS-type funding fraud has quickly change into against the law with growing harm quantities. Last yr alone, the full damages amounted to roughly 27.79 billion yen.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Superintendent General Sadayuki Ogata famous, “While the total damage amount from different fraud types, ‘It’s me fraud’ remains high, we are seeing a surge in damages from new scams such as ‘phantom fee fraud’ under the guise of antivirus support, ‘SNS-type investment fraud,’ and ‘romance scams’…”
Notably, adverts exploiting celebrities’ faces and names to advertise investments have scattered throughout the web, posing an issue. These people are, after all, unaffiliated and haven’t granted any permissions.
Journalist Soichiro Tahara cautioned on Twitter, “I don’t invest. Please be careful not to be deceived.”
Use of Generative AI to Replicate Personal Voices
Videos and pictures created by AI, generally known as deepfakes, can now be simply produced.
Director Hiromi Terasaki defined, “With this program, you can make it speak anything you like, resembling the person’s voice, by registering just a few seconds of their voice. We registered the voice of broadcaster Takeshi Okoshi from a news program and then added a fake script promoting investment.”
Typing the textual content and embedding the generated audio right into a faux advert picture ends in…
Generated Voice
“Good evening. This is Kensuke Okoshi. Today, I’d like to introduce you to an investment project that will bring you high income.”
In current years, Japan has been selling the shift from “saving to investing.”
Junichi Nakajima, Commissioner of the Financial Services Agency (as of June 2023), mentioned, “The NISA system is intended to be a user-friendly asset-building scheme that national citizens, especially investment beginners, can use with confidence.”
However, the complexity of funding stays a reality. When inexperienced people are approached by these proficient in economics providing to “teach investing” or “share stock picks”…
A 19-year-old school scholar mentioned, “If I see a celebrity featured, I might think about giving it a try, wondering if I could succeed too.”
Yusaku Maezawa to Sue Meta
The modus operandi of SNS-type funding fraud entails impersonators interacting through LINE and different platforms to swindle cash. The entrance to those scams usually lies in adverts predominantly on Facebook and Instagram, operated by Meta.
In response to inquiries from TV Asahi, Meta commented, “Our advertising policy prohibits promoting products, services, schemes, or offers using fraudulent or misleading methods, including attempts to steal money or personal information.”
However, Maezawa and others are dissatisfied with the response.
Maezawa despatched a lawyer’s letter to Facebook Japan requesting the elimination of impersonation adverts, to which the reply was “Talk to our headquarters.” Subsequently, a letter was despatched to Meta’s headquarters, which responded, “Complete elimination is impossible, so we seek your understanding.”
Maezawa acknowledged, “I actually dislike this. But I’ve been victimized too, and above all, persons are affected by fraud.
Source: ANN