Recently, several social media users have shared images of a boy holding his little brother, alongside a picture of their mother who had supposedly passed away, claiming to raise money for humanitarian efforts to help orphans.
However, the Anti-Cyber Crime Department has revealed that this is a scam, using AI-generated images to evoke sympathy and solicit donations.
“A Facebook account named ‘Khmer Khmer’ has been spreading false information to solicit donations on social media, claiming a destitute wife is unable to afford a coffin for her deceased husband,” the department warned.
“This scam uses AI technology to create images of orphans and attaches them to QR codes to receive money from unsuspecting donors,” it added.
The department further reported that the account has also spread fake news about charity fundraising for the Cambodian-Thailand border.
Investigations are ongoing, and legal action will be taken if the account is found to be involved in spreading fake news related to charity.
The department urged the public to exercise caution when donating to fundraising campaigns that lack official verification.
AI has remarkable capabilities in creating realistic images that can easily be mistaken for real ones.
One such technology is Deepfake, which manipulates or recreates images and videos to make them appear as if real people are performing various actions.
AI can generate high-quality images of people, landscapes, objects, or even complex scenarios. It can fabricate entirely new faces, swap faces in images or videos, imitate human movements and expressions, or create any environment at will.
However, this impressive capability also poses significant risks if misused. It can lead to the spread of misinformation, privacy violations, reputational damage, fraud and psychological harm.
