Ontario man loses $12K to deepfake scam involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"It had Justin Trudeau endorsing it, so I thought, ‘Well this has to be good,’” said Stephen Henry of Toronto.

Last November, Henry said he saw a YouTube video where it appeared the prime minister was recommending a cryptocurrency exchange.

In the video, manipulated by AI and voice cloning, Trudeau appears to say, “We have developed an investment platform that we believe can help every Canadian safeguard their financial future even during periods of inflation.”

Based on the video, Henry decided to invest.

"I thought, 'It's got to be legitimate, it's got to be perfect. If not, how could you get the prime minister?' So I thought, 'It’s got to be official,'" said Henry.

Henry contacted the website recommended in the YouTube video and was subsequently advised to start investing with $250.