Deepfake
A deepfake is any image, video, or audio that shows a person doing something they never actually did. The name is a portmanteau of the word “deep learning,” which is the machine-learning technique used to generate the images and the word “fake.” Deepfakes are also broadly called synthetic media.
Fraudsters use deepfakes to bypass verification and authentication systems so they can:
- Create fake accounts
- Access accounts that aren’t theirs
- Access sensitive data (personal, financial, health, etc.)
- Complete or authorize fraudulent transactions
- Create a synthetic ID
- and more
Frequently asked questions
How do deepfakes work?
To create a deepfake, a bad actor first feeds image or audio samples of a real person into a neural network or generative adversarial network (GAN). These samples are used to train the network, which can then generate synthetic media.
How can a deepfake be identified?
Although deepfakes are becoming harder to detect, some indicators to watch out for include:
- Odd reflections
- Irregular lighting
- Flickering edges
- Inconsistent color or shading
- Small details being out of place
- Audio that’s out of sync