AI deepfake of President Marcos endorsing an investment conned a Tarlac dentist out of P93 million; two arrested
Over about a year, a dentist in Tarlac, Philippines handed P93 million to people she believed were working with the president, convinced by an AI deepfake video in which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appeared to endorse the investment. The scammers also built her trust with gifts said to come from the president, including a luxury bag and a pair of vehicles. In October 2025, police arrested two suspects in an entrapment operation at an Angeles City mall on a charge of estafa in relation to cybercrime.
What the AI did
Scammers used an AI-generated deepfake video in which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appeared to endorse an investment. The fake video helped convince a dentist in Tarlac to hand over P93 million. It has not been reported which AI tool was used to make the video.
First reported October 17, 2026 · Added to the register October 30, 2026 · 1 source
- Amount handed to scammers
- P93 million
- Affected
- A dentist in Tarlac
- Country
- Philippines
- When it happened
- Not stated in the sources
- First reported
- October 17, 2026
What this means for you
Could this affect you?
If you invest money or process transfers for people who do. Individual investors pitched investments through deepfaked endorsements from heads of state or other public figures could be deceived the same way, and banks or e-wallets handling their transfers could be drawn in.
What to check
- Treat video or voice endorsements of investments by public figures as unverified.
- Confirm such endorsements through official channels rather than video calls.
- Apply real-time fraud monitoring to high-risk transfers.
- Require stronger authentication for high-risk transfers.
Areas of your AI programme this touches
Timeline
- October 2025Ended
- October 17, 2026First reported
Every fact and its source (4)
- Arrest dateOctober 2025“In October 2025, police arrested two suspects”[1]
- ArrestsTwo suspects arrested in Angeles City, Pampanga“In October 2025, police arrested two suspects in Angeles City, Pampanga.”[1]
- Person impersonatedPresident Ferdinand Marcos Jr.“On screen, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looked to be endorsing the investment himself”[1]
- ChargeEstafa in relation to cybercrime“on a charge of estafa in relation to cybercrime”[1]
Sources
- For scammers, the deepfake is now a working toolmanilatimes.net · October 17, 2026
How this record is classified. Severity M (3/5): harm to individuals, or a policy breach with limited reach. OECD level: incident, an event in which an AI system led to actual harm. Evidence: Reported, meaning press reporting only.
The facts in At a glance and in Every fact and its source are quoted from the sources listed. The summary, What the AI did and What this means for you are written from those sources and checked against them automatically before publication. Records reflect what has been disclosed, not everything that has happened. Incidents are found through news feeds and the GDELT Project.
