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How Fake Celebrity Videos Are Costing Victims Billions

Oct 10 (News On Japan) - Criminals are increasingly using AI to create fake videos of celebrities and exploiting them in so-called "SNS investment scams," with cases skyrocketing across Japan.

Economic analyst Mariko Mabuchi said she has been struggling to deal with fake videos of herself circulating widely on social media platforms. Authorities say that more than 4,700 cases of such fraud have already been reported this year, with total losses exceeding 60 billion yen. The program "Sun! Shine" interviewed a man who was defrauded of 14 million yen, highlighting how easily victims can be deceived. Experts warn that while the scams are becoming more sophisticated, there are still ways to identify and avoid these schemes before they cause devastating financial losses.

Source: サン!シャイン公式ch.

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Komeito leader Saito informed Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Takaichi on October 10 that his party intends to withdraw from their coalition, bringing an end to a political partnership that has lasted 26 years, including periods when the LDP was in opposition. Leaders and secretary-generals of both parties met in the Diet at 1:45 p.m. on October 10 to discuss whether to continue the alliance, with Komeito insisting during the meeting that strengthening regulations on corporate and organizational political donations be accepted as a condition for maintaining the coalition.

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