Fake cricket, real betting – story of a not so deep fake

We see many discussions these days around deep fakes and how AI will be able to create content that the human eye cannot spot as being fake, leading us to be easily manipulated. 

However, the reality is that people can be fooled far more easily. 

The BBC reports that a fake IPL Cricket match was put on by a few villagers who cleared out a ground, nailed down a bit of cloth to resemble a “pitch” and live streamed it on YouTube. 

A Signal channel was set up to take bets on the match, and unsuspecting gamblers (many of who were based in Russia) placed their bets. 

The organisers were in radio contact with the umpire, who told the players what to do, ensuring the match outcome ended up favouring the organisers. 

It’s a level of match-fixing that the WWE would be proud of. 

Anyway, the moral of the story is that it’s still way too easy to con and scam people even without deep fake technology. You just need to frame things in the right way, provide some context, and earn the rewards. 

@j4vv4d

♬ original sound – Javvad Malik