AI Deepfakes Hit Influencers With $3.7 Billion Scam Wave as Fake Ads Erode Credibility
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 12
AI Deepfakes Hit Influencers With $3.7 Billion Scam Wave as Fake Ads Erode Credibility
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 12
Summary
Emily Schuman, who has more than 500,000 Instagram followers, found AI-altered ads on Instagram and TikTok falsely showing her endorsing Gala, Meroda Cosmetics and Superpower.
Generative AI has made those impersonations cheap and convincing, turning influencers into easy targets because years of public photos and videos can train models to mimic their likeness.
Surfshark estimated consumers may have lost as much as $3.7 billion to deepfake scams in 2026, with social-media impersonations accounting for about half of the losses.
Meta removed one fake Schuman ad only after weeks of complaints, while another remained live; experts say platform ad tools and weak enforcement let scammers relaunch quickly at scale.
The fallout reaches beyond single posts: creators say deepfakes drain time and legal costs, dilute follower trust and threaten an influencer-marketing business where authenticity is the core asset.