Celebrity Deepfakes Supercharged a Florida Health-Care Scheme

“Hi guys, it’s Taylor Swift. Remember those stimulus checks? Well, there’s a new thing going viral.”

If you were poor and online last year, the ads were inescapable: flashing images of cash and Amazon boxes, narrated by AI-faked celebrities such as Swift, podcaster Joe Rogan or game-show host Steve Harvey. Each described a secretive government program that handed out money—all you had to do was ask. “They’re giving out $6,400 to anyone who makes the call,” intoned a fake Dr. Phil. “If you don’t act now, you’re basically throwing away $6,400,” said a shirtless rendering of misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate ...