Esala Masitabua AI image incident — Oct 2026
An AI-generated deepfake image depicting Reserve Bank of Fiji deputy governor Esala Masitabua was debunked after circulating on social media platforms
- Reported date
- Oct 26, 2026
- Target
- Esala Masitabua
The exact incident date was not established. This entry is dated by its source report.
A deceptive image circulating on social media falsely depicted Esala Masitabua, the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji, in a compromising position at a Washington DC restaurant. The fabricated content was identified as AI-generated through technical verification and visual inconsistencies.
What happened
The image, which appeared on Facebook in October, showed Mr. Masitabua with a woman sitting on his lap. The background featured a sign reading "Fiji Embassy Washington DC" and a version of the Fijian coat of arms. Google's SynthID Detector confirmed the presence of an invisible watermark, indicating the image was created or edited using OpenAI's tools.
Beyond the digital watermark, several visual errors confirmed the image was a fabrication. There is no record of an "Asenaca restaurant" in Washington DC, and the coat of arms displayed in the background contained significant inaccuracies. Specifically, the traditional Fijian canoe at the top of the emblem differed from the genuine version, and the symbols within the shield appeared misshapen or incorrect. Some social media posts featuring the image were flagged with Facebook's "AI content" label, alerting users that the material may have been generated by artificial intelligence.