A video circulated on Facebook on February 22 depicted Prime Minister Tarique Rahman distributing money to army members, with bundles of cash visible on the table. In the video, an AI-generated voice claimed to be Tarique Rahman, stating that Family Cards and money were being distributed to citizens through the army, urging viewers to follow, share, and comment to receive them.
Four days later, a reel surfaced featuring a deepfake of Zaima Rahman, Tarique’s daughter, announcing visits to villages to distribute Tk 20,000 in cash along with Family Cards. Viewers were instructed to follow, share the page, and provide their bKash or Nagad numbers in the comments. Many fell for this scheme and shared their personal contact information in the comment section.
Between February 19 and 26, The Daily Star documented 52 deepfake videos of Tarique Rahman and family members offering Family Cards or cash rewards. The fabricated offers aimed to boost page engagements and collect personal details like names and addresses.
At least 31 pages and groups, operating under different aliases, were identified promoting fraudulent offers during a seven-day period last month. Despite attempts to contact seven pages, there was no response. A report by fact-checking organization Dismislab revealed that the primary goal of these deepfake videos was to gain followers quickly and sell the pages.
An admin of a Facebook page named “Janatar Inqilab” explained that the objective was to grow followers rapidly using AI-generated videos and sell the pages for profit, bypassing the monetization process.
The analysis showed that 32 posts featured deepfakes of Tarique Rahman, 13 of Zaima Rahman, and some involving Dr. Zubaida Rahman. Scammers enticed users to like and follow pages in exchange for Family Cards or cash rewards in 31 cases and 15 posts, respectively.
Two Facebook pages mimicking Zaima Rahman were created in February, accumulating a significant number of followers within days. Misleading deepfake videos falsely claimed to distribute money, urging viewers to share for a chance to receive funds.
The government initiated the “Family Card” program on a trial basis, aiming to provide Tk 2,500 to 37,567 households before Eid. However, misinformation spread through deepfake videos on social media falsely claiming the program’s launch.
Digital media researcher Md Sayeed Al-Zaman warned that sharing personal information on social media could lead to privacy and security risks. Data breaches, identity theft, and cybercrimes are prevalent threats, with Interpol highlighting social media as a platform for such crimes.
