Online scam circulating on Facebook tricks people into providing personal information
VANCOUVER | TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORIES OF THE xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) FIRST NATIONS — The David Suzuki Foundation is alerting media and the public to an online hoax circulating throughout Canada (and potentially in the United Kingdom) since at least mid-July.
Posing as a variety of news sources (including CBC/Radio-Canada and the BBC) and sharing the fake news stories through multiple Facebook posts and web pages, scammers are propagating a false narrative that a medical treatment created by David Suzuki (called “Arthro MD+ Cream”) cured rock star Bryan Adams of severe pain.
A video used in the scam includes convincing AI-generated deep fakes of David Suzuki, Bryan Adams and CBC/Radio-Canada journalist Ian Hanomansing to mislead audiences.
The posts lead to fraudulent information and product pages, where readers are asked to provide their name and telephone number so they can be contacted to place product orders.
The Foundation has reached out to several organizations for help with the scam: Facebook, CBC/Radio-Canada, Bryan Adams’s team and relevant authorities, such as the Vancouver Police Department and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
If you have any further information, please contact the Foundation at the details below.
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For more information, please contact:
Craig Long, Senior Communications Manager, clong@davidsuzuki.org, 604-732-4228 x1262