Is AI coming for your face?, By Mide Alabi - Premium Times Nigeria
A deepfake video of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation, was used to promote a fraudulent investment scheme, highlighting the rise of AI-driven scams.
- Incident date
- May 2026
- Target
- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Deepfakes are increasingly used in Nigeria to promote fraudulent schemes. In February 2026, a deepfake video of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the World Trade Organisation, circulated on social media, promoting an investment scheme.
What happened
The video used a synthetic version of her face and voice to entice viewers to invest. The scheme promised returns of ₦2.6 million in one week for a ₦380,000 investment. The deepfake was convincing enough that Okonjo-Iweala had to publicly deny her involvement. Other public figures in Nigeria have also been targeted by similar deepfake scams, with fraudsters using AI to pitch investment opportunities with implausible returns. These schemes are designed to bypass skepticism by using the faces of trusted individuals.