AI Deepfake Scam Used Fake Iswaran Interview, CNA Editor Reveals

Veteran CNA editor Han Fook Kwang has revealed he was the subject of a sophisticated AI-generated deepfake scam that fabricated a fake interview with former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran, complete with convincing AI-generated photos and fabricated quotes. The scam article, which appeared across multiple websites and spread through WhatsApp, told readers that Iswaran had been framed by investors afraid he would expose a secret fund that paid outsized returns.

The fake story was designed to lure victims into a fraudulent investment scheme by offering them access to the supposed fund. The scam site has since been blocked under Singapore's Online Criminal Harms Act 2023. Han became aware of the scam when friends alerted him to the article, which used his byline and photo alongside fabricated images of him interviewing Iswaran. When Han asked Gemini AI what prompt a scammer might use to create such content, the model generated a detailed instruction for crafting "highly engaging, sensational investigative journalism articles" with fake celebrity endorsements and urgent financial language.

The incident highlights how AI tools have turbocharged scam operations in Singapore. Deepfake technology now enables scammers to produce convincing multimedia content at near-zero cost, creating fake news articles, manipulated photos, and realistic voice clones that make traditional scam-detection methods increasingly insufficient. What was once the domain of sophisticated state actors is now accessible to anyone with a subscription to a generative AI platform.

Singapore has been fighting back on multiple fronts. The Online Criminal Harms Act gives authorities the power to block scam websites quickly, while the Monetary Authority of Singapore continues to issue warnings about AI-enhanced investment scams. But as Han's experience shows, even a veteran journalist with decades of media experience can find himself weaponized by AI-generated content designed to exploit public trust in established media brands.

Why it matters for Singapore: As AI-generated scams surge over 2,000% in Singapore, this episode reveals a deeply personal dimension to what is often discussed in abstract terms. When a respected editor with a 40-year career can be digitally impersonated to defraud the public, the human cost of AI-enabled fraud moves from statistics to lived reality. Singapore's regulatory response must keep pace not just with the technology, but with the erosion of trust it creates.