Ex-TV meteorologist fights deepfakes after her image was doctored in scams

For nearly a decade, Bree Smith was a familiar face in Nashville. But, in January, the mom and former TV meteorologist stopped appearing on the local CBS-affiliated station — a decision she made after months of fighting against deepfakes, which are simulated online images or videos that can seem realistic.
In Smith's case, an image of her was doctored to create explicit pictures and videos, with her face edited onto different, partly nude bodies, and then used to try to extort money from others. "Sextortion" scams like this one have targeted tens of thousands of Americans in the past year alone, according to the FBI.
"I cry myself to sleep most nights, mostly because I don't want my kids to see me," said Smith, who is 43. She recalled first learning about the images in an email, which included a screen grab of an exchange between the sender and an "impersonator" posing as the doctored version of her on the internet.
The deepfakes quickly multiplied, accompanying offers for private dinners and intimate acts in exchange for hundreds of dollars, and targeting anyone who might recognize Smith. She began to keep track of new accounts using the deepfake in a Google spreadsheet — and added 24 over the course of just one week, among hundreds that she says have emerged online. A fabricated video also surfaced where a deepfake claims to be Smith.
"You're basically taking someone's identity," she said. "You're weaponizing them."
Smith has become a vocal advocate for regulations that could empower sextortion victims to fight back against their offenders. And last week, a bill Smith backed passed in the Tennessee Senate. The bill, called the "Preventing Deepfake Images Act," was sent to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who is expected to sign it into law. It provides a path for people targeted by sextortion scams to sue if images of them are shared without their consent.
"These imposters are trying to take my story, and my story is mine," Smith said. "This is my life. I'm 43 years old and I have worked hard and I have loved well, and I'm not going to just roll over and take this."
She said "defining it as illegal is a critical first step," but that work still needs to be done, such as figuring out how to stop it and hold people accountable.
As the bill worked its way through the Tennessee legislature, Smith appeared last month before the Tennessee House Criminal Justice Subcommittee to share her experience with deepfakes and the ways in which the scam has impacted her and her family. In her testimony to lawmakers, she said deepfake accounts pretending to be her have shown up on Facebook and Instagram, in quantities too large for her to find and report as an individual person, CBS News affiliate WSMV reported.
"I try my best to catch the imposters and block them, but like I said, there have been hundreds of them. It's like whack a mole, they just appear everywhere," Smith told lawmakers. "I'm just supposed to look at them and say, 'nothing we can do, bud?'"
There were over 34,000 victims of sextortion in 2023, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. That number climbed to more than 54,000 victims last year. The FBI said financial sextortion, which differs from typical sextortion as it involves an offender threatening to release explicit material unless a payment is met, has been on the rise in the U.S. and targeting minors.
Hayley Elizondo, who tracks sextortion crimes at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said financial gain is the perpetrators' primary goal.
"These offenders, their whole game is to make money," she said. "I'm not surprised that we are seeing adults also become the target of financial sextortion. Frankly, they're going to reach out to those who can pay them."
Officials say the most important thing for people to do if they think they are a victim of deepfakes is to report them.
"If you come across deepfake content that involves you or someone you know, report it to the platform hosting the content," says the National Cybersecurity Alliance, a nonprofit organization. "This can help in having it removed or investigated, limiting its potential reach."
The organization also advises reporting it to federal law enforcement, which can be done through the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Kristi Noem says if Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to U.S. we'd "immediately deport him again"
Sneak peek: The Bathtub Murder of Kendy Howard
Extended interview: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on deportations involving children and more

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Bloomberg

36 minutes ago

• Bloomberg

Canada Says Network Devices Compromised in China-Linked Hack

Canada's cybersecurity agency said Chinese-backed hackers were likely behind recent malicious activity targeting domestic telecommunications infrastructure, warning that three network devices registered to a Canadian company were compromised in the attacks. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation urged Canadian organizations to take steps to harden their networks against the threat posed by Salt Typhoon, a group linked to the Chinese government, in a bulletin issued late on Friday.

Hamilton Spectator

38 minutes ago

• Hamilton Spectator

Jury awards $2.25 million to Georgia couple in suit over autopsy images of decapitated baby

ATLANTA (AP) — A jury has awarded a Georgia couple $2.25 million in their lawsuit accusing a pathologist of posting graphic videos of an autopsy of their decapitated baby. A Fulton County jury returned the verdict against Dr. Jackson Gates on Wednesday. The couple, Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., hired Gates to perform an autopsy on their son, Treveon Taylor Jr., who was decapitated during delivery in July 2023. They have separately sued the doctor who delivered the baby and the hospital where the delivery occurred. That case is pending. In a lawsuit filed in September 2023, the couple said Gates posted several videos of the autopsy on Instagram without their permission. Gates initially removed the videos after receiving a letter from the couple's attorneys, but then reposted them, according to the couple's attorneys. Ira Livnat, an attorney for Gates, said Saturday the jury's finding that Gates did not intend to cause harm 'flies in the face' of the plaintiffs' 'entire case.' His client generally made posts about autopsies to educate other pathologists and advocate for independent evaluations when people felt a hospital had engaged in wrongdoing, he said. The couple received a default judgment for intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and fraud after Gates did not immediately respond to their lawsuit. 'Dr. Gates testified that he is deeply sorry for any harm that he unintentionally caused the plaintiffs,' Livnat said. 'Had he known for one second that they would see that and that they would know it was their child, he would never have done it.' Attorneys for the couple said in a statement that the doctor 'poured salt into the couple's already deep wounds.' 'This young couple trusted him with the remains of their precious baby,' they said. 'Gates, in turn, repaid this trust by posting horrific images of their child for the world to see.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

San Francisco Chronicle​

40 minutes ago

• San Francisco Chronicle​

Jury awards $2.25 million to Georgia couple in suit over autopsy images of decapitated baby

ATLANTA (AP) — A jury has awarded a Georgia couple $2.25 million in their lawsuit accusing a pathologist of posting graphic videos of an autopsy of their decapitated baby. A Fulton County jury returned the verdict against Dr. Jackson Gates on Wednesday. The couple, Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., hired Gates to perform an autopsy on their son, Treveon Taylor Jr., who was decapitated during delivery in July 2023. They have separately sued the doctor who delivered the baby and the hospital where the delivery occurred. That case is pending. In a lawsuit filed in September 2023, the couple said Gates posted several videos of the autopsy on Instagram without their permission. Gates initially removed the videos after receiving a letter from the couple's attorneys, but then reposted them, according to the couple's attorneys. Ira Livnat, an attorney for Gates, said Saturday the jury's finding that Gates did not intend to cause harm 'flies in the face' of the plaintiffs' 'entire case.' His client generally made posts about autopsies to educate other pathologists and advocate for independent evaluations when people felt a hospital had engaged in wrongdoing, he said. The couple received a default judgment for intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and fraud after Gates did not immediately respond to their lawsuit. 'Dr. Gates testified that he is deeply sorry for any harm that he unintentionally caused the plaintiffs,' Livnat said. 'Had he known for one second that they would see that and that they would know it was their child, he would never have done it.' Attorneys for the couple said in a statement that the doctor 'poured salt into the couple's already deep wounds.' 'This young couple trusted him with the remains of their precious baby,' they said. 'Gates, in turn, repaid this trust by posting horrific images of their child for the world to see.'