The Chief Adviser's Press Wing has urged social media users to be more cautious and avoid being deceived by AI-generated deepfake videos made showing Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus by gamblers.
"Gambling ads targeting Bangladeshi users on social media aren't new, but they've taken a disturbing turn-now exploiting the huge popularity of Professor Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh government-gamblers have been producing AI-generated deepfake videos to mimic news reports and fake statements in a bid to attract the public into their sites," the press wing said in a statement on Monday.
The statement was posted on the press wing's verified Facebook page - CA Press Wing Facts, reports BSS.
A recent example involves a deepfake video circulated on Facebook, falsely showing Prof Yunus endorsing a gambling app.
In this manipulated footage, Dr. Yunus appears to invite people to gamble for financial gain.
"Facebook user Jwfrh Hibbert shared the video, where Dr. Yunus is seen stating that the government launched an app that promises users significant returns on their investments," the statement read.
In the video, Prof Yunus was seen saying "We tested our product with a small group of volunteers. Each of them earned over 555,000 BDT in the first week. I'm ready to return your money from my own pocket if you don't make at least 37,000 BDT in the first week. So far, no one has failed to achieve the result."
However, investigation reveals that the video is AI-manipulated. A reverse image search shows the footage was taken from Al Jazeera's programme Talk to Al Jazeera, aired on April 27, 2025, and recorded at their Doha headquarters, according to the press wing.
In the actual interview, Prof Yunus said nothing about betting or any government-launched investment apps. The misleading video also featured the bdnews24.com logo-despite that outlet never releasing such a video.
Upon reviewing the Facebook account that posted it, investigators found it was created on June 14, 2022, and appeared to be operated by multiple users based in Lithuania.
The account has only four posts, all promoting a gambling app called Blue Live.
"The video is entirely fake and AI-generated. The voice is robotic and does not match Dr. Yunus' real voice," the statement said.
This is not an isolated case. Since the interim government formed in August 2024, numerous deepfake videos featuring Prof Yunus have surfaced across Meta's platforms.
In some, he's falsely shown promoting gaming apps as solutions to Bangladesh's poverty and unemployment. Others claim the initiative was taken to support student movements or help flood victims, according to the press wing.
"In another deepfake, Dr. Yunus appears to promote a betting site named Crazy Time Bangladesh. This, too, is fabricated.
"The manipulated video featuring Crazy Time Bangladesh falsely uses Dr. Yunus as its spokesperson. In reality, the video was created using digital editing tools," the statement said.
A reverse image search of key frames links the fake content to an original News24 YouTube video from August 10, titled: "Rangpur must become the number one district: Dr. Yunus".
Upon close examination, it is evident that scenes in the fake gambling ad-Dr. Yunus' clothing, background, and nearby individuals-perfectly match those in the original News24 video.
"We urge social media users to be more cautious and avoid being deceived by such deepfake videos," the statement read.
Bd-pratidin English/ ANI
