Actor Tay Ping Hui's image misused in fake AI 'diabetes medication' clip

Local actor Tay Ping Hui has alerted fans to a fake video using his image to peddle so-called diabetes medication.

"It has come to my attention that my image has been used in fake AI (artificial intelligence) marketing videos," the 54-year-old wrote in English on Instagram on Aug 22, sharing part of the fake video.

"I am flattered that they thought using my image would give their scam more credibility. But at the same time, I am pretty pissed at how lazy they were."

He continued: "I mean, (the) least they could do was to make the two shots more legit, (because) it looked nothing like me, and also, maybe not use repetitive footage for different parts of the talk - it's just unprofessional."

Tay urged his 89,700 followers not to click on the links or buy anything from the scammers.

He told Chinese-language evening daily Shin Min Daily News that this was the first time he had seen someone using AI to create a video of him.

He had previously received tip-offs from fans who found someone impersonating him on Instagram by using his name and photos to open an account and send private messages to followers.

Tay said he has only one Instagram account, which is verified with a blue tick.

The footage from the fake video was taken from an episode of Singapore-based Chinese-American actor-host Allan Wu's podcast Call Us Daddy in March, in which Tay was the guest.

According to Shin Min, a 77-year-old woman was almost conned by the fake video.

She told the newspaper that she came across the video on Facebook on Aug 22 and placed orders for two boxes of the product for $99. She did not suffer any monetary losses as the payment method was cash upon arrival, with the product expected to arrive on Aug 25.