Two months remain until the 2024 Residential Election. Recently, the Criminal Investigation Bureau discovered a video circulating on social media that allegedly shows President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te encouraging people to invest in cryptocurrencies.
The Bureau clarified on the 17th that this video is a malicious deepfake created by ill-intentioned individuals, aiming to deceive people into fraudulent investments. They cautioned the public to remain vigilant and avoid falling victim to this scam.
The Investigation
The video appears to feature President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te discussing cryptocurrency investments during an interview. However, it subtly includes enticing ad phrases and inserts an ad claiming "Invest US$250 in cryptocurrency, earn US$20,000 per month," concluding with an advertisement saying, "Click the link and start earning money today!
The result
After analysis by the Criminal Bureau, it was found that the video frequently used terms specific to the Chinese region and showed unnatural lip movements and voices, noticeably different from real individuals. Not only the President and Vice President but also
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) founder, Morris Chang, became subjects of deepfake alteration. Further forensic software confirmed these to be manipulated fabricated videos, with numerous false video IP addresses originating from China.