Deepfake videos appear to be targeting Canadian immigrants for thousands of dollars

Manufactured videos of a Toronto lawyer begging for money appear to be just one way some are trying to exploit new arrivals to Canada at a time of confusion over new immigration rules.

Two videos sent to immigration lawyer Max Chaudhary show him directly addressing the person by name and even mentioning his fiancée’s name. The problem is that what he is watching is actually a deepfake video created by artificial intelligence (AI).

“It’s really frustrating because you like to have an image of who you are, but it’s being used for illegal purposes,” Chaudhary said in an interview with CTV News on Saturday.

Chaudhary found out about the video after someone called his law firm office and asked when he could send Chaudhary the $7,000 they were discussing on WhatsApp, but the person on the phone quickly realized that the person he was messaging with was not was Chaudhary, even though they provided several videos seemingly depicting the Toronto lawyer in a chat room.

“All of a sudden, someone asks, ‘How do I send this $7,000,'” Chaudhary said. “(Then) they sent me the video and I said, ‘Yeah, that’s definitely not me.’

“It seems to me that this is a place or a method to influence more vulnerable people,” he said.

Chaudhary says he fears other new or potential immigrants may have been sent fake videos of him via Whatsapp – videos in which vulnerable and sometimes desperate people ask for money in exchange for legal services he never provided.

“The concern is that it could be dozens or dozens of people, at least in the immigration area,” Chaudhary said. “This is very worrying. You feel this misrepresentation, as if your identity has been changed for some nefarious purpose.”

“Anyone who we consider vulnerable, trusting or in a critical situation may be more receptive to a stick on this kind of technology,” Dan Fagnella, head of artificial intelligence research at Emerj in Boston, Massachusetts, told CTV News on Saturday. . .

The climate is ripe for people to take advantage of newcomers: a group of migrants

New federal immigration policies that narrow targets for permanent residents and reduce the number of work and study permits issued have created a climate of confusion and desperation that is allowing new arrivals to fall prey to fraud, migrant rights groups say.

“When people are desperate, when we see the federal government changing the rules so often that it’s hard to tell truth from lies, then I think a lot of people can believe it,” said Syed Hussan of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. Saturday interview.

Earlier this year, the federal government announced it would cut its target for permanent residents by 20 percent in 2025 and also cut the number of study permits for international students by 10 percent next year.

Migrant rights groups have previously described the move as “changing the rules halfway through the game” and creating a wave of confusion and uncertainty among newcomers.

“People just want to figure it out and they will be hunted,” Hussan added.

How to Avoid Deepfakes Scams

Migrant rights groups warn: Never send money to immigration lawyers until you have fully obtained legal services.

“Definitely don’t give anyone money until they show you they’re effective—until they show you actual proof that they work,” Hussan said.

“Double check and triple check the information, talk to the migrant organization, get as much correct information as possible,” he added. “It is likely that even immigration lawyers and consultants do not have the information they need because changes are happening so quickly.”

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told CTV News in a statement Saturday that it “encourages applicants to use the agency’s official website to obtain information about its programs to avoid becoming a victim of fraud. There is also a wide range of resources. on the IRCC website on how to detect, prevent and report fraud.”