Editorial: Deepfakes, deception and erosion of trust

Throughout history, every major technological advance has carried a cost –from the physical dangers that followed the rise of automobiles to the more abstract harms, like social media’s impact on self-esteem.

Now the scourge of our lives are scammers, with one main difference setting them apart: the speed at which they have evolved.

From innocuous looking emails to phone calls and text messages, the authorities – from banks to police to postal companies – have had to keep up with threats and do all they can to warn the public about ways to keep their money and identity safe, with red flags ranging from appeals to act fast, to even the fonts used on email and website addresses.

Artificial intelligence is slowly but surely developing into a powerful tool but there are always going to be those who exploit it for evil.

In time, we will look back on the current threats as a quantum leap: the ability to create virtual copies of well-known people, using their fame to lure you into investments.

Famous actors have found their images and even voices promoting products and services that they would never dream of endorsing. And the creation of deep fakes has, if anything, grown more daring with time.

A Maltese financial coach, Patrick DeBattista, warned there are so many fake accounts on social media that they are too widespread to track.

He is well aware of the danger: fake online profiles encourage people to invest in dodgy deals and his followers – well-meaning people in search of good opportunities – have lost thousands.

More than a year ago, fake TikTok accounts began appearing under usernames nearly identical to his own. Using manipulated versions of his real videos and photos, the impostors targeted unsuspecting users and gradually drew them into scams.

Unfortunately, profiles pop up with alarming frequency, leaving him and many others wondering what they can do to protect the public.

He is not the first and will certainly not be the last. Everyone from television personalities to politicians have been targeted and the scale of the impact has been inconvenient to some but devastating to others.

Scams are big business and those behind them have massive resources, both financial and human, infiltrating every corner of society.

How can this be fought? Companies issue alerts and warnings when customers are targeted, cybersecurity firms urge clients to invest in firewalls and other protective tools, and police departments are training specialized units to tackle these crimes.

Meanwhile, social media platforms –often overwhelmed– do what they can to remove fake profiles, though their efforts frequently fall short. As a result, not everything online is what it seems, and trust in news, social media, and digital platforms has steadily eroded.

In the end, the best defence is for each one of us to challenge everything, to understand more, which means investing in better online literacy.

The Malta Financial Services Authority reported that investment frauds surged by over 50% in 2024, while the Maltese police recorded hundreds of complaints in 2025, involving losses of hundreds of thousands of euros.

An OECD project last spring found that the 18 financial literacy initiatives underway in Malta frequently dealt with financial fraud and scams, with the most common targets being children and young people.

And, yet, as each gap is closed, others open. This is a battle that cannot be won but only mitigated.

We need to learn how to battle this new scourge and to stay one step ahead. We need to remember: if it is too good to be true, it often is.