GCD AI RADAR
incidents/AIR-2025-0189

Deepfake of Maltese Prime Minister Promotes Fraudulent Crypto Scheme

AI-enabled attack4 Confirmed real-world lossDeepfake fraud

A suspect in Malta used an AI-generated deepfake video of Prime Minister Robert Abela to advertise a cryptocurrency scam. Victims transferred tens of thousands of euros before police arrested the alleged perpetrator.

Details

type
AI-enabled attack
Attackers used AI as a meaningful part of a cyberattack against someone else.
categories
  • Deepfake fraud
    Synthetic voice, video or images used to impersonate people for fraud, extortion or access.
owasp llm top 10
no entry for these categories
mitre atlas
Both rows are derived from the type and categories (OWASP 2025 edition, ATLAS release 2026.09), not classified per record. How
severity
4 · Confirmed real-world loss
Financial loss, PHI/PII breach, safety impact or regulatory action.
targets
Individuals
incident date
28 Jul 2025
first reported
28 Jul 2025
origin
AI Incident Database
Derived from the AI Incident Database (CC BY-SA 4.0).
classifier confidence
0.95 · published at or above 0.80; see the methodology
tags
deepfake · crypto-scam · fraud · malta
record
created 2026-10-18 06:33Z · updated 2026-10-18 06:59Z · json

Sources · 1

  1. 2025-07-28
    Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela Reportedly Deepfaked by a Ukrainian National in Cryptocurrency Fraud Targeting Local Residents
    AI Incident Database · incidentdatabase.ai/cite/1289

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