CHARLOTTE — A woman in Charlotte is calling for action after hackers used artificial intelligence to create fake advertisements for products on her TikTok page.
Usually, influencers want you to know more about them, but Amber asked us not to use her last name -- it just shows how much this experience has rattled her.
She says someone hijacked her TikTok account, used AI to imitate her voice, and made it sound like she was endorsing products for sale. The products include toy guns, beauty supplies, and a yard tool.
“It’s like me, but soulless. It’s very monotone,” Amber told Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke.
But it was still too close for comfort.
“They are absolutely trying to impersonate me, and they’re doing a disturbingly good job because some people are like, ‘I really thought it was you at first,’” she said. “I was getting DMs of people being like, ‘Hey, there’s somebody -- are you selling stuff on there? Are you like selling people things?’”
Amber says she doesn’t endorse those products and doesn’t even post on TikTok anymore.
“It’s been like years since I’ve been on that platform,” she said.
She says she counted about 90 of the AI-created videos on her hijacked page.
“It’s, it’s, it’s jarring. It’s unnerving,” she said.
Amber says she reported it to TikTok.
Stoogenke emailed TikTok to see what it’s doing about Amber’s account and how it’s protecting other users from AI misuse in general. The company said it was working on a response, but didn’t provide one in time for this report.
Amber is also warning people on her other platforms not to buy anything they think she’s selling.
But that’s just for her. She worries about the bigger picture. “There are bigger repercussions to come if we don’t regulate this stuff,” she said.
“Anybody can have their likeness, their actions, their voice, anything about them can be easily faked with AI technologies,” said UNC Charlotte Assistant Professor Cori Falkaris. “This is very dangerous, but it is the world that we live in now.”
Falkaris teaches computer technology, including cybersecurity, at UNC Charlotte.
“People do love to do these things. They love to rip people off. They get a lot of enjoyment out of it. It’s like a prank. As well, as they could actually be making money off of some of these deepfakes that they create,” she added.
Jason’s advice for consumers
It doesn’t matter if the scammer is using AI -- or some other strategy -- to trick you. Either way, take all the usual steps you would take to protect yourself from any scam:
- Be suspicious
- Don’t share personal information
- Don’t be afraid to double-check information
- Amber adds: “Be wary. If you see anything that looks like a creator that you follow and trust, but isn’t quite right, just do a little bit of extra looking into it because sometimes that is not them.”
Advice for posting on social media from Falkaris
- Periodically remind followers whether you endorse products
- If the platform allows you to “verify” your identity, do so, even if you have to pay for it
- Use strong usernames and passwords
- Use dual authentication
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