Brazen scammers profit from fake AI paparazzi photos of celebrities

These fakes often start with real photos: a person’s body, features around them or face are changed while the rest of the image is left intact. That can make them look more convincing than fully generated images.

Source: futurism.com

How the fake stories are made

One account, now called “Prince Uk,” regularly posts fake photos of Miley Cyrus. On November 2, it shared two images that made the singer look unhealthily thin, linking her appearance to her “divorce from Liam Hemsworth.” In the real photos used in the edits, Cyrus looks as usual.

A few days later, on November 9, the same account showed her looking noticeably heavier and asked how her body could have changed so quickly. A reverse image search found that the original photo was a paparazzi shot of writer and actress Lena Dunham: her face had been replaced with Cyrus’s.

Posts like these alter celebrities’ bodies in both directions and sometimes claim they have had procedures such as a Brazilian butt lift, known as a BBL. Those whose images have been used include Addison Rae Easterling, Jenna Ortega, Camila Cabello, Kylie Jenner, Ariana Grande, as well as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena and Jason Statham.

The images come with fabricated explanations: illness, a breakup or drug use. One fake post claimed Billie Eilish was smoking and looked gaunt after splitting up with Nat Wolff, supposedly because she had undergone breast reduction surgery. In the edited photos, a water bottle in the singer’s hand was replaced with a cigarette.

Pregnancy is another recurring theme. Targets have included Kendall Jenner, Miley Cyrus and Hailey Bieber. Some posts portray celebrities as pregnant and holding bottles of alcohol, with captions linking the scene to infidelity or a pregnancy after a breakup. Other posts claim to know about celebrities’ miscarriages.

Other fakes invent stories about gender transition—for example, portraying singer Sam Smith with breasts. Actress Mia Goth was depicted barefoot and “homeless,” even though she is wearing shoes in the original photos.

Infidelity, alcohol and fake images of children

Another recurring theme is supposedly unfaithful partners. Jacob Elordi was shown with different women, even though he is dating Kendall Jenner. One creator, using the name “Tee,” edited an image to show Elordi embracing Kim Kardashian, Jenner’s sister.

“Prince Uk” also posted what it claimed was a photo of Cyrus kissing an unidentified woman in Miami. In reality, the singer was kissing her fiancé, Max Morando, on a sidewalk. The creator of the fake did not even change Morando’s clothes, so the “unidentified woman” ended up wearing his outfit in the edit.

Some posts turn to darker themes. A fake photo shows Shiloh Jolie, the 20-year-old daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, crying with a bottle of alcohol. The caption blames bad parenting, but the image is fabricated.

Creators also alter photos of celebrities’ children. In one case, 14-year-old Blue Ivy Carter, the daughter of Beyoncé and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, was shown with a cigarette. There is no cigarette in the original photo.

Source: futurism.com

Monetization and coordinated accounts

According to information in their X profiles, many accounts posting fakes are registered in African countries, often Nigeria, though some creators say they are based in the US. Their verification badge gives them access to X’s monetization tools.

Creators of fake posts regularly comment on one another’s posts. This may point to coordination and help each image get a better chance of spreading.

The editors contacted several creators of fakes but received no reply. One of them, a user called “Hisom,” deleted a post with images the editors had cited as an example of a deepfake: music producer Benny Blanco was shown with hickey marks on his neck. X did not respond to a request for comment.

Celebrity hoaxes existed before, but now creating and spreading them takes only a few actions in an image editor and an account with access to monetization. Dataist’s take: the combination of viral content and payouts for reach creates an incentive to publish increasingly scandalous fakes, including ones involving children.