Meta has removed deepfake videos which had appeared on its platforms which appeared to show Fine Gael Presidential Election candidate Heather Humphreys endorsing a high-return investment scheme on RTÉ news.
RTÉ News presenter Kate Egan's likeness was also used in the video, the content of which was highlighted by Bank of Ireland as being "entirely fabricated using AI-driven voice and image cloning".
"It’s against our policies to run ads that use public figures in a deceptive way to try to scam people, and we remove these types of ads when we become aware of them - as we have done in this case," a Meta spokesperson said.
They added: "Scammers are relentless and continuously evolve their tactics to try to evade detection, which is why we're constantly developing new ways to make it harder for scammers to deceive others - including using facial recognition technology."
A deepfake is when an existing image or video is altered using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Ms Egan is shown standing in front of the RTÉ News background before introducing Ms Humphreys.
Fine Gael's presidential candidate stands at a podium that reads "Quantum AI" with the Government's logo displayed on the corner of the screen.
Meta said it has "robust processes and teams to review ads", and its system is designed to review ads before they go live.
It said while reviewing ads from millions of advertisers globally that go against their standards is essential, it was not without challenges.
It said it has put "substantial resources" towards tackling so-called "celeb-bait" ads which try to scam people out of money.
It is part of a growing trend where voices of presenters have been altered and fake video interviews edited into a news report, to make it appear as though the news programme is endorsing what is essentially a scam.
BOI Head of Fraud Nicola Sadlier called the video "deeply concerning" and called on the EU to address the "growing wave of online scams that threaten to undermine public confidence".
"We are witnessing an ongoing spate of scams that exploit public trust in well-known figures," she said.
"These videos are highly convincing, designed to lure unsuspecting individuals into fraudulent schemes."
Deepfakes have previously been used for political interference. In 2022, a deepfake video was circulated showing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, falsely showing him surrendering.
