Former TV meteorologist fights deepfakes after her image was doctored in sextortion scams

For nearly a decade, Bree Smith was a familiar face in Nashville. But, in January, the mom and former TV meteorologist stopped appearing on the local CBS-affiliated station — a decision she made after months of fighting against deepfakes, which are simulated online images or videos that can seem realistic. 

In Smith's case, an image of her was doctored to create explicit pictures and videos, with her face edited onto different, partly nude bodies, and then used to try to extort money from others. "Sextortion" scams like this one have targeted tens of thousands of Americans in the past year alone, according to the FBI.

"I cry myself to sleep most nights, mostly because I don't want my kids to see me," said Smith, who is 43. She recalled first learning about the images in an email, which included a screen grab of an exchange between the sender and an "impersonator" posing as the doctored version of her on the internet.