The FBI is warning the public of malicious actors creating synthetic content (commonly referred to as “deepfakes”) by manipulating benign photographs or videos to target victims.
Technology advancements are continuously improving the quality, customization, and accessibility of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled content creation. The FBI continues to receive reports from victims, including minor children and non-consenting adults, whose photos or videos were altered into explicit content. The photos or videos are then publicly circulated on social media or pornographic websites, for the purpose of harassing victims or sextortion schemes.
The FBI urges the public to exercise caution when posting or direct messaging personal photos, videos, and identifying information on social media, dating apps, and other online sites.
The FBI recommends the public monitor children’s online activity and discuss risks associated with sharing personal content; Use discretion when posting images, videos, and personal content online, particularly those that include children or their information; Images, videos, or personal information posted online can be captured, manipulated, and distributed by malicious actors without your knowledge or consent; Once content is shared on the internet, it can be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to remove once it is circulated or posted by other parties; Run frequent online searches of you and your children’s information (e.g., full name, address, phone number, etc.) to help identify the exposure and spread of personal information on the internet; Apply privacy settings on social media accounts—including setting profiles and your friends lists as private—to limit the public exposure of your photos, videos, and other personal information; Consider using reverse image search engines to locate any photos or videos that have circulated on the internet without your knowledge; and exercise caution when accepting friend requests, communicating, engaging in video conversations, or sending images to individuals you do not know personally.
Do not provide any unknown or unfamiliar individuals with money or other items of value. Complying with malicious actors does not guarantee your sensitive photos or content will not be shared.
If you believe you are the victim of a crime using these types of tactics, retain all information regarding the incident (e.g., usernames, email addresses, websites or names of platforms used for communication, photos, videos, etc.) and immediately report it to: the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov; an FBI Field Office [www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices or 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324)]; or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children [1-800-THE LOST or www.cybertipline.org].
