AI Deepfakes Are Impersonating Pastors to Try to Scam Their Congregations

https://www.wired.com/story/ai-deepfakes-are-impersonating-pastors-to-try-and-scam-their-congregations/

346 points · 66 comments · view on lemmy.world

66 Comments

Goretantath@lemmy.world · 75 pts · 244d

I don't see a problem, its one scammer vs another..

PiraHxCx@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 49 pts · 244d

Are they sure it isn't the pastor themselves that are trying to increase their output of incendiary sermons asking for donations by adding AI-made sermons?

schwim@piefed.zip · 43 pts · 244d (1 reply)

It makes sense, it's a proven pool of gullibility.

IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 244d

couldn't have happened to worse people

teft@piefed.social · 36 pts · 244d

The really funny thing is the congregations can't train their flock on how to avoid these scams because if they do then the church won't be able to scam them any more.

Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world · 32 pts · 244d

texture@lemmy.world · 29 pts · 244d (4 replies)

This only makes the most sense. What other group has proven to be easier to scam? None, I'd imagine.

village604@adultswim.fan · 1 pts · 243d (3 replies)

The elderly.

texture@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 243d (2 replies)

lol ... who do you think religious congregations are comprised of?

village604@adultswim.fan · 2 pts · 243d (1 reply)

All age ranges. Have you not been to a church service before?

texture@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 243d

sadly i was forced to go to a number of them.

here, look for the chart breakdown regarding age and religiousness. good day. https://www.theglobalstatistics.com/religion-in-us-statistics/

Mulligrubs@lemmy.world · 29 pts · 244d (2 replies)

The AI won't rape the kids though, so we'll still need some priests on staff

crunchy@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 23 pts · 244d (1 reply)

Not for Grok's lack of trying

Zozano@aussie.zone · 6 pts · 244d

Thank you Elon.

FarrellPerks@feddit.uk · 21 pts · 243d (1 reply)

As opposed to the actual pastors who usually run the scams?

rekabis@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 243d

I mean, when the crime is going to happen regardless…

uberdroog@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 243d

That's the whole point of church, no?

nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 16 pts · 244d

damn. I need to get in on this honestly

Ganbat@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 15 pts · 244d (1 reply)

So this is what they meant when they said AI was gonna take people's jobs...

DreamMachine@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 243d

Nah, it makes both jobs and scamming more effective.

Sharkticon@lemmy.zip · 14 pts · 243d

Scammed by the pastors or scammed by AI, not really seeing a difference. I guess there's more of a chance the pastor is a pedophile? Who knows.

switcheroo@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 243d

Considering how dumb and gullible the average religious nutjob is, this should be one helluva easy grift.

DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works · 13 pts · 244d (1 reply)

You don't need AI when you got keneth copeland

Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 244d

AI is more convincingly human than kenneth copeland.

ilillilillilillililli@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 244d

Those scammers should stop scamming those scammers talking about an invisible sky daddy.

ThePantser@sh.itjust.works · 12 pts · 244d

I guess the only solution is to get rid of churches to prevent the continuation.

Iheartcheese@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 244d

They noticed something was wrong when the pastor wasn't raping children

IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 244d

let em, stupid tax, better than them donating to republicans.

those conman pastors don't get to complain.

"hey, I was going to steal that!!"

pyrinix@kbin.melroy.org · 10 pts · 244d (1 reply)
[ removed ]
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 244d

I consider this the kinda the only ethical use of ai. Kinda.

SeaSgt@lemmy.zip · 9 pts · 243d

No deepfake required there.

MidsizedSedan@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 244d

Beware of false prophets or something..

"If those kids could read, they would be very upset"

Wigglesworth@retrolemmy.com · 8 pts · 244d

My mom's favorite pastor is dead, but I'll still tell her about this.

She believes in a magic sky god who set his own rules up for us to fail by way of damnation. A pastor coming back to life wouldn't be a jump in her reality.

luciferofastora@feddit.org · 8 pts · 244d

My aunt already falls for every religious scam under the sun. Donate for this good cause here, help build a church there, God told me to do whatever and I need some assistance...

Religion is one hell of a drug and I'm not surprised that a community convinced of their divine protection would contain enough gullible victims to make it worth the effort. They might not all be that stupid, but it's like MMOs: some whales are enough to make it profitable.

toiletobserver@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 244d

Reminds me of Louis CK's SNL monologue...

Hey you can't say something racist! I was saying something racist already!

ChaoticEntropy@feddit.uk · 7 pts · 243d

They really are coming for everybody's jobs.

MetalSlugX@piefed.social · 7 pts · 244d

Good?

deliriousdreams@fedia.io · 6 pts · 244d (1 reply)

Who could possibly have seen that coming. It'll be Trump supporters who donate next.

YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 244d

You didn't even need ai. They still love bannon after he openly stole millions and posted a video laughing about it on his yacht.

felsiq@piefed.zip · 6 pts · 244d (2 replies)

11 comments and every single one is dunking on religion… have I ever mentioned I love this place?

yannic@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 243d (1 reply)

I signed up because it wasn't an echochamber.

felsiq@piefed.zip · 1 pts · 243d

People being less inclined to woo-woo stuff around here doesn’t make it an echo chamber, the same way people being more inclined to techy stuff here doesn’t make it one. It’s not like dissenting opinions are prevented or suppressed, they’re just less common (and when it comes to generally homophobic religions, I’m personally happy about that).

dumbass@piefed.social · 6 pts · 244d

Pastors: Hey! It's our job to rip them off! Damn AI taking our jobs!

Jhex@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 243d

easy targets

WanderWisley@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 243d

This “might” be the only time where I’m ok with AI scamming people.

deathbird@mander.xyz · 2 pts · 244d (11 replies)

Hahahaha old people being robbed

Zozano@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 244d (3 replies)

Let's not forget they were also religious.

I'd rather scam them, than let trump bleed them dry.

deathbird@mander.xyz · 2 pts · 243d (2 replies)

Tell me you've never known a religious person outside your shitty family.

A lot of atheists voted for Trump, and a lot of religious people voted against him.

Zozano@aussie.zone · -2 pts · 243d (1 reply)

What's up with your fixation about whether people have known religious people?

I was once religious. I knew religious people outside my shitty family (from church).

"A lot of atheists voted for Trump"

"A lot of religious people voted against him"

Neither of these points really identify my issue, which is:

"the vast majority of people who voted for Trump were religious"

deathbird@mander.xyz · 2 pts · 242d

The vast majority of Americans are religious, and even the ones that mark their religion as None mostly believe in God.

Congratulations, you have an issue with Americans in general. They still don't deserve to be scammed.

IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 244d (6 replies)

have you met a single one of those Christians fundamentalists old people?

steal their organs while they're at it, nothing of value was lost.

they weren't conned into being despicable christofascists, they are easy to con because they are idiotic christofascists.

deathbird@mander.xyz · 0 pts · 243d (5 replies)

Who the fuck are you even talking about? Have you ever known a religious person?

IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 243d (4 replies)

Given that those evangelists are the polar opposite of whatever Jesus said. I'd say you're right, they didn't count as religious people

deathbird@mander.xyz · 0 pts · 242d (3 replies)

Man I don't care what Jesus said, I don't believe in that stuff, but I've known enough religious people to know that they're not all pieces of shit and they don't deserve to be stolen from or treated as less than human.

IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 242d (2 replies)

I am not talking about your buddhist neighbour, or your jewish co-worker. we are referring to the evangelical Christo fascist maga base. They are the scum of the earth, I am sure even Jesus would not mind yeeting them into the sun.

They are the reason so many Americans are now actually treated less than humans, so yes, if anyone deserves to be treated less than human is them. because they obviously believe that whatever is going on in this country is correct. so fuck them all. and I hope they are right in the existence of hell, because they all deserve to go there.

deathbird@mander.xyz · 1 pts · 241d (1 reply)

So first, the article is about churches generally, not just the worst people you know. Lots of old Presbyterians and AME folks at the anti-Trump rallies.

Second, idk, let go of the hate. I get it, I really do, I spout off myself a lot, but it's poison. See how it warps and twists others, but don't think it does any less to you because yours is righteous.

IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 241d

There was a recent story, about a white woman with a baby asking for food. She said she asked 7 churches, 6 white churches said no, an immigrant church offered her food, a mosque offered her food, and a temple offered her food.

White Christianity in America is a cancer, even the white liberal ones.

ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 244d (8 replies)

How exactly are they getting scammed? Or is "religion" always tied with money and these folk give money to the pastors regularly? What religion are they following again? I mean, it's definitely not the religion of Jesus with the rich priests and all, lol.

deathbird@mander.xyz · 5 pts · 244d (1 reply)

In churches people regularly give and spend money.

So get the AI pastor to say "We're collecting for supplies for casseroles for Food Kitchen X, can you send money to WeirdCashAppY?"

"Hey church treasurer, sorry to call you so late but I'm in a meeting with the regional staff about the thing. Can you wire an Unusually Large Sum of money to Strange Name, we're late on that account."

ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 244d

I completely forgot about this, thank you. And fuck that's depressing, can't even be righteous in peace now you gotta worry about everything. 😐

CXORA@aussie.zone · 3 pts · 244d (5 replies)

If jesus cared he could stop it. So either he approves or doesnt give a shit.

ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 244d (4 replies)

Jesus died like 2000 years ago, man...

Wigglesworth@retrolemmy.com · 2 pts · 244d

God: "lol, it was just me, but like, not me."

Holy Spirit: "Me too. The same guy but also, not the same guy."

CXORA@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 242d (2 replies)

Depends who ask.

ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 242d (1 reply)

I mean, the Moon is made out of cheese too, depending on who you're asking. 🤷

CXORA@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 242d

Luckily those people don't make governance decisions.

blitzen@lemmy.ca · 0 pts · 244d

Finally, AI I can get behind.