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A deepfake video was posted on Facebook featuring a fabricated news segment that impersonated Croatian neurosurgeon Josip Paladino and news anchor Saša Kopljar. The video used manipulated footage to falsely claim Paladino was assaulted for promoting a 'miracle' pain-relief product called Steplex. The scam directed users to a fraudulent website mimicking the Croatian Ministry of Health to solicit purchases and personal data for an unapproved medical product.
A Facebook page reportedly posted a video styled as a TV news segment that purported to show Croatian neurosurgeon Josip Paladino endorsing a pain-treatment product called Steplex after an on-air assault. The clip was reported to use AI-generated or manipulated media built from older footage, and the ad linked users to a page mimicking Croatia's Ministry of Health while soliciting purchases and contact data.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to gain a personal advantage over others such as through cheating, fraud, scams, blackmail or targeted manipulation of beliefs or behavior. Examples include AI-facilitated plagiarism for research or education, impersonating a trusted or fake individual for illegitimate financial benefit, or creating humiliating or sexual imagery.
Also classified as
The deepfake generated and spread false claims about an unapproved medical product, potentially misleading users about health treatments.
The AI system was used to create deepfake videos impersonating public figures to deceive users for financial gain through a medical scam.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed
The incident was caused by malicious human actors who intentionally generated and deployed deepfake videos to perpetrate a financial scam.
Added categories peak at 2: Minor (Epistemic Harm, Direct)
A deepfake video campaign impersonated a Croatian neurosurgeon and news anchor to promote an unapproved medical product, directing users to a fraudulent website mimicking the Croatian Ministry of Health. The incident represents a localized financial scam with minor national security implications, manageable under standard law enforcement and cybercrime procedures.
The AI system was used as a tool by human creators to perform the specific function of generating synthetic video and voice from existing footage.
Limited Risk: The report describes the use of AI to generate deepfakes, which are subject to specific transparency obligations under the EU AI Act.
The AI system was primarily used to generate a synthetic video of Josip Paladino and Sasa Kopljar, along with matching synthetic voices, to deceive viewers.
The fact-checking report from Faktograf.hr provides clear, verified details about the deepfake video, the source footage used, the fraudulent website, and the unapproved status of the drug. The roles of the AI and the human actors are unambiguous.
None. The evidence clearly points to a coordinated deepfake-enabled financial scam.
Technology
AI Voice Synthesis
Allowed replication of public figures' voices with realistic tone.
AI Video Lip-Syncing
Altered original video lip movements to match the fake audio.
Data Inputs
Public Video Archives
Abundant YouTube videos of victims provided training data for AI.
Spliced Historical Footage
Old unrelated videos were used to fabricate the visual narrative.
Human Factors
Trust in Public Figures
Exploited the reputation of a trusted doctor and news anchor.
Process and Methods
Flawed Ad Moderation
Facebook moderation failed to flag and block deepfake video ads.
Deceptive Website Cloning
Cloned official health ministry pages to validate the AI claim.
Management
Inadequate Platform Vetting
Ad platforms did not verify identities of new pages running ads.
Regulatory Environment
Weak Enforcement
Prior police reports failed to stop recurring deepfake fraud.
AI system involved
An AI system was involved, but the reports do not identify it.
Identified by automated extraction; can differ from the alleged developers above.
