RTÉ HAS URGED its audience to be wary of online posts purporting to be from the national broadcaster, as it has been made aware of misleading material circulating on social media.
It warned that, in some cases, ‘deep fake’ artificial intelligence technology can be used to portray reports by RTÉ presenters that never happened.
“We encourage our audience to exercise due caution regarding fake websites, social media advertisements, news articles and emails,” a statement posted to the RTÉ website said.
“This content will frequently advertise financial products, investments or cryptocurrency schemes and suggest that consumers of these products can expect to receive large amounts of money in a short period of time.”
While RTÉ is trying to combat the posting and spreading of such posts, it said it “cannot eliminate the fraudulent misuse of our branding and intellectual property”.
“We are not responsible for third party content and strongly recommend that individuals avoid any engagement with these advertisements.”
Victims of cyber crime can report it to An Garda Síochána.
People who come across a fake advertisement or social media post are encouraged to report it directly to the platform. Those who would like to check if a third party website, email or video is legitimate, can contact RTÉ at info@rte.ie.
“Please ensure that you include all available details regarding the content, particularly the web address or url which can be used to locate the content online,” it said.
“RTÉ takes fraud seriously and we ask that our audience does the same. If you encounter suspicious content, please report it immediately.”
The Journal‘s FactCheck team recently debunked an article with false information, purporting to be from RTÉ.
The screenshot appeared to show a story on the RTÉ website about Anne Doyle and the end of her career. The story didn’t refer to a real article and the link didn’t direct users to the actual RTÉ website.
The image had the headline: “Anne Doyle: Is this the end of her career?”.
It was shared on social media with a link, which actually sends people to a different website advertising a cryptocurrency scheme.
It’s claimed the scheme is endorsed by former RTÉ presenter Mike Murphy and businessman Denis O’Brien. However, it is a hoax.
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