Mark Carney deepfake video — Oct 2026

An 88-year-old resident of Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, was defrauded of $450,000 after encountering an online investment scam featuring a deepfake video of Prime Minister Mark Carney. The victim, Ralph Moore, transferred the funds over a 10-month period, leading to a significant financial loss that his family argues should have been prevented by his long-term financial institution, TD Bank.

What happened

Beginning in May 2025, Moore was targeted by a bogus investment promotion that utilized a deepfake video of Mark Carney to establish credibility. Over the following 10 months, Moore made numerous payments, including online transfers, bank drafts, and credit-card payments made in the names of other individuals. These transactions were conducted both online and through repeated visits to his local TD branch.

While TD Bank reportedly questioned several of the transactions, warned the victim and his wife about potential scams, and notified its internal fraud-prevention unit, the transfers continued until the bank closed the account in February 2026. Moore’s daughter, Leslie Herrndorf, noted that her father failed a mental capacity test, raising questions about why the bank did not take more definitive action, such as freezing the account, contacting relatives, or notifying the police. Despite the scale of the loss, the bank has not reimbursed the victim, citing the nature of the transactions. This incident has fueled ongoing debates in Canada regarding the responsibility of financial institutions to protect customers from sophisticated fraud, with consumer advocates calling for stricter liability laws similar to those implemented in the United Kingdom.