Filenews 6 December 2025
Trump wishes Cyprus a "good spit" and promises the annihilation of the Turks. President Christodoulides, together with Haris Georgiades and Averoff Neophytou, present an investment platform that will bring prosperity to the whole of Cyprus. Anna Vissi also proposes an investment, as do Cypriot croesus Sir Stelios Hadjioannou and John Christodoulou. The most recent example is the miraculous healing presented by a monk of the Kykkos Monastery.
These are some videos that were prepared with the help of artificial intelligence and released within a few months, with the aim of deceiving unsuspecting citizens to earn money, manipulate them or even entertain them. However, as the Commissioner of the Digital Security Authority, Giorgos Michaelides, emphasizes to "F", there are no tools and mechanisms that can protect the world, with the result that everyone is at the mercy of malicious AIs. At the same time, MP Christos Christofides speaks of a gap in the legislation, clarifying that he submitted a proposal for a law, so that citizens can ensure the copyright on their face and his voice.
"It is very difficult to protect someone. He must be very observant. To look, for example, at the hands, the fingers. It is very difficult, already, and I think that in the coming years it will become even more difficult as artificial intelligence will develop and become better and better", points out Mr. Michailidis.
AI scams can come in many different forms. "It can be the voice in a phone call, as they can imitate it. It can be videos, photos, written text in chat, or another message. Someone can communicate on Instagram or Facebook with someone else and actually talk to an AI rather than a real person," he said.
He also underlined that not even experts have tools or mechanisms to reveal them.
For example, he said, in the recent major earthquakes in Turkey, a photo of a rescuer, who was supposedly Greek, was circulating and who was holding a child he had just rescued. But if you were to look at the rescuer's hands, you would find that he had six fingers."
However, Mr. Michailidis emphasizes, there is no manual for what exactly people are looking for. They need to notice anything that doesn't seem right.
At the level of the European Union, Mr. Michailidis said, the discussion has been opened so that it is mandatory to have relevant signage / embossing on videos or other material that informs people that what they are watching is a product of artificial intelligence and not reality. "This, of course, concerns legal artificial intelligence tools and its benevolent use. It goes without saying that if someone uses it maliciously to deceive people, that they are not going to comply and put a mark."
For this reason, Mr. Michailidis emphasizes, citizens must proceed with the verification of the information. "It would be good for the citizen to make a phone call back to make sure."
Artificial intelligence technologies, he said, are advanced. "By paying a subscription, someone can acquire malware and viruses (malware and viruses) to hit a person or company. It's incredible how crime has progressed in the field of AI."
Another thing that is happening more and more, said Mr. Michailidis, is the so-called social engineering through artificial intelligence. "That is, actions through AI with the aim of manipulating people, influencing them psychologically, directing them to specific actions and behaviours," he said and added that something like this seems to have happened in the US Presidential Election where Donald Trump was elected, as well as in the UK referendum on Brexit. After all, he said, behind such actions it is not necessary for a fraudster to be found, there may even be a state.
The most important action that can be taken now, Mr. Michailidis underlines, is to inform the citizens. "People should not believe what they see, even if it seems real. He has to control it," he said.
"If we are not careful, we are at the mercy of artificial intelligence. We have to check and search. It depends on us," he concluded.
The scams are imaginative
The profitable Christodoulides platform and the 15 who lost over €10,000
Personalities with influence, fame or even prestige in their field, were recruited by the cunning to deceive the people.
> Last March, Sir Stelios Hadjiioannou, creator and founder of the easyGroup Group, warned the world about cryptocurrency fraud, which exploits him and his company brand.
The misleading online advertisement urged the public to sign up for the fake company called "easyProfit", offering promising returns of up to 96% on cryptocurrencies and foreign exchange markets, which was allegedly presented by Sir Hadjiioannou himself.
> Last May, a video was released with the President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides, Averoff Neophytou and Haris Georgiadis who spoke of a great success in the investment sector and a platform that will offer prosperity for all. About 15 people were deceived in Cyprus, losing around €10,000 to €15,000.
In fact, the singer Anna Vissi and the president of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, were used in a similar video.
> Last July, businessman John Christodoulou posted a scam video on his personal account, in which he appears to be calling on people to commit fraud. "It's not me," he clarified.
> Last August, a fake Facebook account pretends to be a page of "Fileleftheros" and using the Greek presenter Sakis Tanimanidis, he invites citizens to download a specific application that will yield a large monetary profit.
Christos Christofides: Calls for criminalization of the use of persons in AI material if there is no consent
"I recently watched a video with a well-known presenter, who was talking to people about a slimming product. I watched it three times - so believable it was - to conclude that it has been processed with AI. If we can understand it today, in a year or two that it will have been perfected, it will be impossible to understand it," said AKEL MP Christos Christofides, who a few days ago submitted a proposal for a law to criminalize the use of people in AI material, without the consent of the affected person.
"Last Easter, a video was released with Donald Trump, with his face and voice, who supposedly said: 'I wish the Cypriots a good spit. And not to worry about the Turks - all this in English - because I will drag them into the sea. It's a matter of time." You can't imagine how many people sent it to me excited that Trump would come to save us."
There is a gap in the legislation for the protection of citizens", continued Mr. Christofides, and underlined that for this reason he also prepared a relevant law proposal.
"The European Union must require social media platforms, in case of AI material, to be labelled," he said and expressed the fear that propaganda videos as well as vindictive videos follow.
