Think you can spot an AI scam? OCBC wants you to look again

OCBC is turning scammers’ own AI tactics against them in a new anti-scam awareness campaign aimed at showing Singaporeans just how difficult it has become to trust what they see online.

Created by GOVT VCCP, the campaign centres on a 60-second film featuring three familiar scam personas: a millionaire prince, a courier and a long-lost relative. While the characters appear to be played by different people, all three are performed by a single actor whose appearance is transformed using AI-mapping technology.

The creative idea taps into the growing use of AI by scammers to impersonate people through increasingly convincing recreations of faces and voices. Rather than relying entirely on AI-generated performances, GOVT VCCP and production partner Rolla adopted a hybrid approach combining a real actor's performance with AI technology.

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The approach followed a street quiz conducted by GOVT VCCP that tested whether members of the public could distinguish real faces from AI-generated ones. According to the agency, many participants struggled to tell the difference, providing the insight behind the campaign's creative direction.

Beyond the film, the campaign extends to social media with an online quiz that similarly challenges users to distinguish between real and AI-generated faces. It also highlights telltale signs of AI-generated content and directs users to OCBC's "Be a pro against cons" platform for information on recognising scams and protecting themselves.

Jimmy Neo, group creative director at GOVT VCCP, said the team used AI-mapping technology to turn one actor into multiple scammers, underscoring the idea that "seeing is no longer believing" as technology makes it increasingly possible for anyone to appear to be someone else.

Meanwhile, Rolla director Jake Nam said retaining a real actor was important to the film's humour and delivery. Facial expressions, body language and voice delivery were central to making the characters memorable without trivialising the threat posed by scams, he added.

The anti-scam push follows another recent collaboration between OCBC and GOVT VCCP. In August, the bank rolled out a regional brand campaign across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong celebrating the relationships built as customers pursue their aspirations.

Titled "Together, lifting everyone we serve", the campaign built on OCBC's long-running brand platform centred on enabling people and communities to realise their aspirations. Four films inspired by stories from ASEAN and Greater China focused on the relationships formed between customers and the bank over time, rather than solely on financial outcomes.

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