A photo and video circulating on Facebook claiming to show a Filipino woman together with gambling magnate Charlie “Atong” Ang at the airport in Bangkok, Thailand was made using artificial intelligence. She made it in jest, referring to the multi-million peso bounty offered for information leading to Ang’s arrest.
The woman posted the photo on her FB account on Jan. 23, showing her beside Ang who was wearing a blue shirt and khaki pants. It was captioned:
“Hindi ako mayaman pero masasabi kong abot-kamay ko na ang pagyaman😬naglay-over lang naman ako nito sa Bangkok at masasabi ko din na napakaswerte ko naman talaga..pwede na akong hindi magtrabaho nito may 10M na😆oh sya dyan na kayo,bye! #AtongAng
(I’m not rich, but I can say that wealth is now within my reach. I’m just on a layover here in Bangkok and I can say I’m truly lucky. I can even stop working now that I have 10M. Oh well, I’ll leave you to it, bye! #AtongAng).”
Another FB user re-uploaded the picture on Jan. 25, describing it as showing an “overseas Filipino worker” with the wanted man.
On Feb. 13, the woman also posted a video which supposedly documented her encounter with Ang.
The woman had used the hashtag #aigeneratedvideo for the clip. As for the photo, it was in the comment section of her post where she implied that it was made with AI. However, despite these caveats, her posts have drawn mixed reactions, with some understanding the joke, a few fact-checking her posts and saying the clips were fake, while others said it “looked real.”
The real deal: Her posts were made with AI. Below, VERA Files Fact Check points out the red flags in the video and shares results from an AI-detection tool.
Clips rife with visual and audio inconsistencies
The photo bore several indications of inauthenticity:
- Ang’s shirt fell unnaturally on his body, with little to no creases down the middle.
- The perspective of the photo looks off when you look at where Ang was standing and the posture of the woman behind him, who looks half standing up and half sitting down.
- Behind Ang are two signs that read Gate D3, but above them is a yellow sign that states either D4 or D6 (The fact alone that this sign is indistinguishable is also a red flag).
- The hair of the woman in the foreground looks unnatural. Unreal-looking hair is a common issue for AI image generators.
Meanwhile, the fake clip showed these signs of AI-generation:
- Ang’s glasses disappeared as he was walking.
- The Ang in the clip looked and sounded nothing like the real one.
- Ang’s arm was going through the woman’s luggage handle at some points of the clip.
- The black piece of luggage behind Ang started moving away from him even though nobody was pulling it.
- Towards the end of the video, the woman’s bag kept rolling after her and Ang even though she took her hands off it.
Results from AI-detection tool
Results from the Hive Moderation AI detector flagged the circulating photo as 96.7% likely to be AI-generated.
On the other hand, Hive’s results indicated that the video was 52.3% likely to be a deepfake. It is possible that the edit made to the clip – the addition of text – may have affected its score.
As of Feb. 20, Ang remains a fugitive in connection with non-bailable cases involving the “missing” cockfight enthusiasts (sabungeros). The police and the National Bureau of Investigation have conducted numerous raids in houses and business locations identified with the businessman.
The Bureau of Immigration and the Department of Justice confirmed on Jan. 14 that there is no official record of Ang leaving the country through any airport or seaport.
The fictitious video and photo made the rounds online after Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced on Feb. 12 that the reward for information leading to Ang’s arrest has been doubled from ₱10 million to ₱20 million.
Published by two FB users, the posts have so far collectively garnered 7,906 reactions; 1,211 comments; and 217 shares.
