AI scammers target sports fans with celebrity deepfakes

This investigative report contains AI-generated images and videos created to show you the best ways to identify real versus AI. ATLANTA (Aging Untold)— Scammers are using artificial intelligence to create convincing fake images and videos of celebrities and athletes, targeting unsuspecting fans with increasingly sophisticated schemes that have cost victims thousands of dollars. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received 859,532 complaints in 2024, with related losses topping $16.6 billion, a 33% increase from 2023. In Georgia alone, reported potential losses reached $420 million, a 40% increase year over year, according to the FBI’s 2024 Internet Crime Report.Investigator Brendan Keefe recounts how scammers once faked his press credentials to pose as him in emails.Ray Waldheim, who runs the verified fan page “Atlanta Braves Chop Live” with more than 242,000 followers, said he constantly sees fake photos of real players on other pages with names like “Braves Dugout” and “Tomahaw