[Guardian] A footballing deepfake: how Bruno Fernandes…

In a significant escalation of illicit marketing, the Vietnamese sportsbook and casino website QH88 utilized advanced AI technology to create a deepfake video of Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes. The incident highlights a growing trend where unlicensed offshore gambling operators hijack the identities of high-profile athletes to manufacture false endorsements and mislead potential customers.

What happened

Unlike previous scams that relied on fake news articles or crude web links, QH88 dedicated substantial resources to constructing an elaborate digital presence around a fictitious partnership with Fernandes. The centerpiece of this campaign was a one-minute, AI-generated video that appeared to show the Portuguese international signing an "ambassadorial contract" with representatives of the casino at Old Trafford.

While an expert analysis commissioned by the Norwegian website Josimar identified various tell-tale signs of AI intervention—including blurred details and continuity errors—these flaws were largely invisible to casual viewers. The video was hosted on the QH88 main website, playing on a continuous loop to establish credibility. By leveraging the immense popularity of Fernandes in Vietnam, the operators sought to provide a veneer of legitimacy to their unlicensed platform.

This incident follows a similar, though less sustained, attempt by another unlicensed operator, Nightwin, which used fake BBC stories and AI-manipulated images to falsely link Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham to a fraudulent betting app. These cases illustrate the difficulty of enforcing intellectual property and image rights against offshore entities. Because platforms like QH88 and Nightwin operate from jurisdictions like Curaçao, utilizing opaque corporate structures and shell companies, they remain effectively insulated from cease-and-desist orders and legal action. As of the time of reporting, the platforms and their associated entities have not responded to requests for comment, and the rise of such sophisticated synthetic media poses an ongoing challenge for both athletes and global sports regulators.