What to know
- Fake AI-generated ads on X depict former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh being arrested or handling suspicious bags, directing users to scams that steal personal information.
- Most ads link to a fabricated CBC News article claiming Singh was arrested after promoting Groman Pro, a suspicious AI-powered investment platform promising monthly earnings of $1,200 to $2,800. Cybersecurity company Gridinsoft identified multiple financial scam warning signs.
- AI educator Vaseem Baig, known as Vaseem the AI Guy, warned that AI makes scams cheaper, faster, and more convincing, while fake political stories undermine public trust in journalism. He described the ads as “fraud dressed up as political news.”
- MP Melissa Lantsman is pushing for stronger accountability through the proposed Protection Against Online Fraud Act, which would require platforms to prevent and remove fraudulent content. Experts advise checking website URLs, verifying investment platforms, and reporting suspicious ads.
AI-generated ads depicting former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh engaging in suspicious activities are circulating on X, luring users into clicking links that lead to a scam designed to steal their personal information.
In multiple posts on the social commentary website, fake images of the former politician feature him handing off a suspicious duffel bag, getting arrested, and taking a mugshot, among other fabricated scenarios.
While these ads aren’t specific to Singh, he is the latest public figure being used as the face of the scam.
It’s come to a point where scrolling on the website has users seeing multiple variations of the scam in a short amount of time.
While researching on X, Now Toronto came across four fake reports of Singh in the span of around 30 seconds.
Now Toronto reached out to Jagmeet Singh for comment but did not hear back by publication.
What are these AI ads linking to?
Most links led to a falsified news article by CBC News, which claimed the former NDP leader had been arrested after promoting an AI-powered investment platform during an appearance on CBC’s Power & Politics.
The fake article claims Singh shared a platform called Groman Pro. The scam claimed the technology allowed Canadians to earn money through automated AI trading, with a minimum deposit of $350. It also describes an alleged on-air confrontation between Singh and former housing minister Sean Fraser, followed by Singh’s arrest outside CBC’s Ottawa studios.
The story further claims that more than 47,000 Canadians registered for the platform in five hours and promises monthly earnings from $1,200 to $2,800.
The false article provides no independently verifiable evidence to substantiate the alleged arrest, televised confrontation, or advertised investment returns.
The page ends with instructions to register and deposit money into the investment platform, with warnings telling users about limited availability and a closing deadline.
Groman Pro was determined to be a financial scam, according to an independent Canadian-Ukrainian cybersecurity company, Gridinsoft.
The website said Groman Pro showed signs of multiple risks, including a low third-party reputation score, high-risk trading-related activity, financial-scam-related patterns, limited independent reputation data, and a relatively new domain of 12 days.
“Common bait includes ‘guaranteed’ returns, urgent deposit windows, and account managers pushing larger transfers. In many incidents, users can deposit easily but cannot withdraw without paying extra ‘verification’ or ‘tax’ charges,” Gridinsoft stated.
Other AI images of Singh skipped the fake CBC article and sent users directly to an AI chatbot claiming to be with Groman Pro.
These tactics, combined with fabricated political claims and unverified financial promises, are concerning, according to Vaseem Baig, an AI educator more commonly known as Vaseem the AI Guy. He said scams like these are designed to lure readers into an investment promotion rather than provide legitimate news coverage.
“I think essentially you’re seeing fraud dressed up as political news,” he said. “The arrest is really the hook, right? And then you look at the crypto piece.”
Baig added that the use of recognizable political figures can exploit public curiosity and outrage, encouraging people to click on content before checking whether it is legitimate.
“Politicians are now being used because public outrage and curiosity — it’s like clickbait, right? [It] just gets people going,” he explained.
AI makes generating scams easier
While deceptive political campaigns existed long before modern AI tools, Baig said the technology makes it easier to produce convincing fake articles, images and videos.
“AI can invent scams, but AI does not invent the scamming mentality,” he said. “It just makes scammers cheaper and faster and more convincing at scale.”
Baig explained that AI-generated content has become increasingly sophisticated over the years, making it harder for people to identify fake content based on visual mistakes or poor writing alone.
The use of familiar news brands, including CBC, adds another layer of credibility to these advertisements, to the effect of misleading people into believing they are reading factual reporting.
Baig said these tactics also work the other way, destroying credibility for news organizations.
“Every fake arrest story still chips away at trust and real news,” he said.
He added that AI content can lessen confidence in journalism and AI technology itself.
“When you have participants or bad actors and actresses that deploy it in this way, it affects the entire industry as a whole,” Baig said.
What is being done about it?
Now Toronto reached out to X but did not hear back by publication.
Many users on X have claimed to see an increase in fake AI ads on the social media platform, with no evidence that they were being removed or dealt with.
Baig said platforms like X have a responsibility to know about scams on their sites and deal with them accordingly.
He suggested platforms could verify advertisers before accepting payment for advertisements that feature recognizable people or news brands. Baig also suggested the platforms use automated tools to identify possible impersonation campaigns.
Basim said clearer escalation procedures could help users whose reports on these suspicious ads lead to silence.
House of Commons of Canada member Melissa Lantsman is attempting to squash the issue at a legislative level.
“It started 18 months ago, in a really meaningful way, where there were a lot of, frankly, seniors who started telling us about it, and then we started to look into it,” Lantsman explained.
While the Singh renditions of the scam weren’t as prevalent last year, other versions of AI ads were still circulating, including fake articles where CBC senior investigative reporter Erica Johnson was seen covered in green slime, walking out of a TD bank, as a way to promote another form of investment.
Those ads have seemingly been removed, now replaced with ones depicting Singh.
Lantsman said these scams continued to steal money from Canadians, along with their sensitive information.
“They don’t only steal money; they steal things like autonomy and independence,” she said.
She added these scams targeted less internet-savvy people, aiming to trick them into inputting their private information or depositing money.
As a way to fight these scams, a Protection Against Online Fraud Act bill was presented in the House of Commons.
Lantsman said the bill ensures billion-dollar companies have to take accountability.
“It holds companies accountable for the harmful and fraudulent content hosted on their platforms,” she explained. “It requires those platforms to prevent and remove that content and notify those who have been targeted… they need to communicate proactively about what you clicked on.”
The bill also adds a section of the criminal code, requiring judges to consider factors like age, health, and financial situations as aggravating circumstances when sentencing online scammers.
“The problem is that nobody gets in trouble for the slop,” Lantsman said.
She said the House of Commons will likely hear the bill in spring 2027.
“The actual government has the opportunity to do something [about] it,” Lantsman added.
In the meantime, both Lantsman and Baig assure Canadians they can avoid getting caught in these AI scams.
Baig advised online users to check website addresses, instead of relying on logos they are familiar with, which can be copied or recreated.
“Logos can be built at scale,” he explained.
Baig also advised Canadians not to send money to AI-powered trading platforms they have not verified for themselves.
Users are also advised to report suspicious advertisements they come across and raise concerns with the platforms involved.
Now, Canadians must continue to determine legitimate information from increasingly false, convincing, and manipulative content.
