Rep. Aponte warns on proliferation of ‘deepfake’ scams.

By THE STAR STAFF

Last year the FBI registered more than 22,000 complaints nationwide related to fraudulent schemes using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. 

The use of AI technology to create “deepfakes” cost U.S. consumers, including those in Puerto Rico, over $893 million in losses, an increase of $362 million compared to 2024.

Similarly, citizens receive 2.6 deepfake videos every day, a 400% increase compared to 2024.

The preceding data was presented in a press release issued by Rep. José Aponte Hernández, who since 2021 has been raising the alarm about the use of AI to create increasingly difficult-to-distinguish fraudulent schemes.

“The marked increase in the use of Artificial Intelligence algorithms to create fraud schemes represents an extraordinary and real risk to our consumers, particularly senior citizens,” the veteran lawmaker and former speaker of the island House of Representatives said, noting that the number of deepfakes registered by the FBI in 2025 represented an increase of 7,750 compared to 2014.

“[A]nd this is the clearest indication that we must be very vigilant about the material we access on social media and the internet, and be sure that it is legitimate,” he said.

“We have to understand that before 2023, this technology, although it existed, wasn’t easily accessible,” said the at-large legislator, who chairs the House Committee on Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs. “Everything changed in 2024, when AI applications and programs began to proliferate on social media and internet portals. The boom is so marked that at the end of 2024, the FBI designated a specialized category for ‘deepfake’ complaints; previously, they were classified as complaints associated with cybercrimes. The increased use of voice cloning algorithms, graphic mechanisms that make emails appear legitimate, and the creation of images and videos have allowed criminals to commit their misdeeds faster and almost transparently.”

Aponte said consumers should be on the lookout for alerts to detect the scams, which include requests for personal data, such as addresses, bank accounts and social security numbers, among others. Likewise, they should not click on links they haven’t verified beforehand, and especially not download attachments from anonymous sources, including on messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.

Later on Tuesday, Consumer Affairs (DACO) Secretary Hiram Torres Montalvo issued a warning on Tuesday regarding a fraudulent digital scheme created using AI that falsely utilizes the image and voice of the La Fortaleza Chief of Staff Francisco Domenech Fernández.

The warning follows the detection of a fake video published on a page identified as “Bright Horizon Daily,” which appears to be a legitimate digital news outlet.

The video simulates a television interview with Domenech from the program “Primera Pregunta,” in which it is falsely claimed that the Puerto Rico government guarantees profits of up to $12,000 with a minimal investment.

“The content currently circulating is completely false and constitutes a fraudulent scheme designed to deceive consumers through the misuse of artificial intelligence tools,” Torres Montalvo said in written remarks.

The DACO chief noted that the video employs deepfake technology capable of recreating the voices, faces, and expressions of public figures to make it appear as though they are endorsing products, investments or financial incentives.