YouTuber, guitar influencer and Chapman Guitars head honcho Rob Chapman has been discussing the increasing issue of deep fakes and guitar competition scams that are spreading online – many of which feature his image.
In a new clip titled DEEP FAKE Rob Chapman & Gibson - This Is Bullshit, the guitarist says he is now approached “on the daily” with queries from followers asking if clips promoting competitions and unbelievable offers are genuine.
“If it’s too good to be true, it’s fake,” says Chapman, after summarising some of the past scam efforts involving his likeness. However, he says a recent email marked a new level of sophistication in the scammer’s approach.
“Today is the first time that somebody sent me a video and said, ‘Hey Rob, this is you right?’,” says Chapman. “And I'm like, ‘No, but it's my voice…”
In his own clip, Chapman then proceeds to share a section of the scam video. It contains images of Chapman and Lee Anderton (of associated UK retailer Andertons), and purports to promote a competition where viewers can grab a free Gibson Les Paul Standard ’60s, due to a “packaging mishap.”
The footage is accompanied by a voice-over that appears to be from Chapman, but has instead been generated using AI – and clearly trained on the guitar personality’s previous content.
Chapman notes that the sheer amount of material he and Andertons have shared on YouTube makes them easy targets for deep fakes and is cautioning his followers to be wary of any potential scams.
So what does this mean for your own browsing? Well, Chapman’s initial advice that “if it’s too good to be true, it’s fake” remains a good rule of thumb, particularly as AI gets better.
He also says it’s crucial to look at the source of the material – and not to take blue ticks alone as evidence of authenticity.
“I’m not going to create any more accounts,” says Chapman. “I have one Instagram, one Facebook page and this one YouTube. There are no other Rob Chapman accounts.
“If you see a competition or anything like that, it’s bullshit. The only way you’ll know that is that it’s not coming from the source.”
Watch the full clip above and keep an eye on Chapman’s official YouTube channel for more updates.
