Yogyakarta Sultan Targeted in Deepfake Financial Scam
Yogyakarta Sultan Targeted in Deepfake Financial Scam
Reporter
September 10, 2026 | 06:48 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) in Indonesia, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, has once again fallen victim to a deepfake. In this instance, an old video recording was manipulated—altering the audio and lip movements—to make it appear as though the Sultan of Yogyakarta was promoting financial management or leasing services.
The DIY Regional Government confirmed that the footage circulating widely on social media is fake content created using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The underlying motive is fraud.
“The hoax video falsely attributed to the Governor is a typical scam,” said Ditya Nanaryo Aji, Coordinator for Public Relations at the General Affairs, Public Relations, and Protocol Bureau of the DIY Regional Secretariat, on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
The DIY Regional Government highlighted the impact of the deepfake. Although the visual and audio manipulations are considered fairly obvious, many social media users have responded positively to the video. This indicates, according to Ditya, that some members of the public have been deceived into believing the video’s content is genuine.
“Hopefully, this public awareness effort will provide clarity—especially to social media users in the Baby Boomer, Gen X, and early Gen Y demographics—that AI technology has advanced significantly and requires vigilance,” Ditya said.
As an initial response, the DIY Regional Government has used its official Instagram account to label the post as misleading or a hoax and has urged the public not to share it. In addition to digital education on social media, the DIY Communication and Informatics Agency is intensifying face-to-face outreach efforts down to the village level.
Neither the Sultan nor the DIY Regional Government currently plans to pursue legal action. The government stated it prefers to focus its energy on correcting the information and promoting digital literacy among the public.
This incident involving the misuse of Sultan HB X’s image marks the second such case to occur in a short period. Back in July 2026, Sultan was also targeted by a similar AI-based scheme involving a scam related to ancient coin transactions and the manipulation of payments for the sale and purchase of goods.
Read: Yogyakarta Govt: Video of Sultan Selling Ancient Coins Is Deepfake
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