Familiar faces, shocking headlines and dramatic stories that take your breath away – this is how one of the most common traps that people on the Internet fall into unwittingly looks today. Fraudsters are increasingly misusing the names and faces of celebrities, presenters or politicians and creating fake articles that at first look like serious news from trusted media. Their goal is simple – to evoke emotions, shock and compel the reader to click.
These fabricated articles are often dramatic in tone and cover sensitive topics such as serious health problems, accidents, divorces, deaths or scandals from the privacy of famous personalities. Fear, sympathy or curiosity are the emotions that fraudsters target the most. However, after clicking, the user often finds himself on suspicious pages, where he can be exposed to various risks, from fake investment offers, through fraudulent contests to trying to lure out personal data or access to bank information.
In addition, this whole underwater world is moving to a new level thanks to artificial intelligence. It makes it possible to create increasingly convincing fake photos, edited videos or even realistic statements that famous personalities never actually said. It is the combination of technology, credible content and strong emotions that make these scams a dangerous phenomenon, which is spreading across the internet faster than ever before.
She drew attention to such fraud on the social network presenter Soňa Müllerová from the Ladies’ Club on STVRwhich is among the fashion icons on TV screens. “This is a FAKE. A fake post that can’t even be opened! It’s false information about my health misleading the public! Even the photo is not authentic! It’s digitally edited by AI!” she wrote angrily.
The article to which Müller was referring had the headline: “Sońa Müllerová almost died during the broadcast. How did they bring her to such a state?” and spread on social networks. The post is even marked as sponsored, i.e. it is paid content for which a brand, company or other sponsor has paid for its dissemination or visibility.
The Ladies’ Club show, hosted by Müllerová, drew attention to the fraudulent post on the social network. “Be careful what you read and always verify information. Don’t always believe everything.” STVR public television warned its viewers. You can see what the post looks like in the gallery.
