Who Is the Next Target?... Cases of 'Deepfake Synthesis' Threatening Local Councilors Surge

More than 30 Victims Nationwide... Police Launch Metropolitan Investigation
Demanded Cryptocurrency Worth $50,000 for Deletion

Illegal deepfake (artificial intelligence (AI)-based image synthesis) victimization targeting local council members is spreading nationwide, prompting the police to launch a wide-scale investigation.

On the 17th, the National Police Agency announced that 30 basic council members from Seoul, Incheon, Busan, Gwangju, and Daegu reported receiving deepfake threat emails to the police this month. Yonhap News reported that all victims are male council members, primarily aged between their 20s and 40s. In Incheon, seven council members from Seo-gu, Gyeyang-gu, Bupyeong-gu, Yeonsu-gu, and Namdong-gu received threat emails, and several basic council members in Daegu, Busan, and Gwangju also received similar emails. In Daejeon, several city council members, and in Seoul, four district council members from Gangseo-gu and one city council member reportedly received threat emails.

Deepfake Illegal Composite Threat Email Sent to a Basic Council Member in Dong-gu, Daegu. Yonhap News

A police official told Yonhap News, "We are currently investigating whether the same organization is responsible," adding, "There may be council members who have not reported the damage, so the actual number of victims could be higher."

The deepfake threats involved creating images of nude males synthesized with publicly available photos of the council members’ faces, depicting them lying with women, and sending these images via email. The perpetrators included threatening messages in the emails such as "We have evidence of your crimes," "You know what kind of impact this will have," and "Contact us immediately upon reading this message." The email sender demanded cryptocurrency worth approximately $50,000 in exchange for deleting the illegal synthesized images and sent a QR code to induce access.

Currently, the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and other regional police agencies have begun investigating the case. Some experts believe that this crime was initially tested against basic council members and may later be committed against National Assembly members or high-ranking public officials. There are also concerns that as synthesis technology becomes more sophisticated, there is a possibility of 'deepfake operations' during election periods.