INTERPOL launches deepfake scam campaign with three AI-generated videos and a safe-word tip

What INTERPOL launched

INTERPOL announced on 19 October 2026 a public awareness campaign on crime that uses AI-generated or AI-altered media to scam people. The release carries a Singapore dateline, where INTERPOL runs its global complex for innovation. The campaign centres on three short videos that are themselves AI-generated and show how synthetic media, commonly called deepfakes, can be used in scams.

INTERPOL says generative AI tools no longer need much skill or money, and can reproduce a real person's face or voice from a small amount of content found online. It argues that public understanding of deepfake crime remains low. Once seen mainly as a threat to public figures, synthetic media crime now increasingly targets private citizens through investment scams, impersonation, romance scams, sextortion, deepfake pornography and disinformation.

What the scams look like

INTERPOL gives concrete examples: a video call from a supposed colleague asking for a bank transfer, a call from a family member in trouble, or an online relationship that seems genuine. Toshinobu Yasuhira, Director of the INTERPOL Innovation Centre, said AI is erasing the tell-tale signs of a scam, such as spelling mistakes, branding inconsistencies and clumsy formatting. He added that anyone can fall victim regardless of age, region or sector.

The red flags INTERPOL lists are unsolicited contact that steers toward money or personal details, pressure to act at once, fear or demands for secrecy, payment by wire transfer, cryptocurrency or gift cards, and online relationships that become intense quickly and move off dating platforms.

What INTERPOL advises

Individuals are told to stay calm and sceptical, to hang up and call back on a known number, to check that profile photos are not taken from elsewhere, to agree a safe word or question with close family and friends, and to turn on two-factor authentication. Businesses should train staff on deepfake scams, voice phishing and social engineering, require multi-step verification for payments and data transfers, including face-to-face confirmation for large sums, and keep software updated. Victims should contact local police and, after a payment, their bank. More on deepfake fraud is under Cybersecurity.

What to watch next

The campaign is the public part of Project SynthWave PLUS, through which INTERPOL supports police in Southeast Asia and beyond with research, awareness and training on synthetic media threats. INTERPOL says that support covers research into threats and possible solutions from a global perspective, explaining the technology and response strategies, and targeted learning for police officers. The open question is whether detection tools and police training keep pace with face and voice cloning that needs only a few online clips. The release gives no data on reported cases or losses, and no timeline for the project's next outputs.

Questions people ask

What does INTERPOL's deepfake campaign advise?

Wait. Validate. Don't take the bait. Stay sceptical, verify requests through a known channel, agree a safe word with family and friends, and turn on two-factor authentication.

Who is targeted by deepfake scams?

INTERPOL says synthetic media crime now increasingly targets private citizens, not only public figures, through investment, impersonation and romance scams, sextortion, deepfake pornography and disinformation.

Who funds INTERPOL's deepfake work?

The campaign is part of Project SynthWave PLUS, which INTERPOL says is supported financially by the Government of Japan.

Sources

1. INTERPOL launches public awareness campaign highlighting risk of AI deepfake scams (INTERPOL, 19 Oct 2026)