FORMER Penang Chief Minister and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng today revealed that he is among the latest public figure to have fallen victim to online impersonation.
The fomer DAP secretary-general held a press conference to warn the public to be wary of deep fakes of himself online, saying that it is a low shot to scam netizens.
"There is a fake video circulating online that uses artificial intelligence to mimic my voice and image in an apparent investment scam."
Lim, who is also the Air Putih assemblyman, said the video falsely represents him as endorsing an investment scheme.
“I want to be absolutely clear, I have never asked anyone to invest in anything. I’m not in the business sector. I’m in politics,” he stressed.
The manipulated video is believed to be based on an interview Lim gave over a decade ago.
The original recording was in English, but the fake version is in Mandarin.
“That alone is a red flag,” Lim said, noting that the other speaker in the video, the think tank Penang Institute executive director Datuk Dr Ooi Kee Beng, does not converse in Mandarin and that the voice is dubbed.
“They took an old clip, altered it to look new, and changed the language.”
Lim has reported the matter to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
Lim accused scammers of intentionally using trusted public figures to deceive victims, as this is at least the fifth time digitally altered videos of him have been produced.
“Always verify with official sources. Refer to my verified statements. I will never ask anyone to invest in any scheme," said Lim. - June 8, 2025.
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