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Anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee targeted in deepfake video

Sibahle Malinga
By Sibahle Malinga, ITWeb senior news journalist.
Johannesburg, 28 Jan 2020

Anti-crime activist and TV presenter Yusuf Abramjee has become the latest victim of a deepfake revenge video, after blowing the whistle on a speeding motorist last week.

After the emergence of the fake video, Abramjee confirmed this morning that on average he receives about 10 death threats a year from criminals and trouble-makers.

Fake videos or deepfakes are not only creating a new era of fake news, they are also a relatively new method of cyber bullying and a revenge tactic,predominantly used to create fake celebrity pornographic videos.

On 19 January, Abramjee shared a video on Twitter, of a Johannesburg speedster who clocked over 300km in his Audi TT Coupe, which read: “Sheer madness!!!!! Video posted on Instagram. Look at the speed...N1 South Midrand.”

A week later, the Gauteng traffic department tracked down the 36-year-old suspect and arrested him while he was attending a funeral in Limpopo. He appeared in court yesterday and is currently out on bail.

Yesterday, Abramjee revealed he was a target of a deepfake video since exposing the speedster, taking his frustrations to Twitter: “Since I posted the video of the speeding motorist I have been receiving threats. Opening charges. A fake video is also doing the rounds. I will not be intimidated.”

This morning, he told radio presenter Eusebius McKaiser on radio 702 that he has laid criminal charges and expressed his concerns about the high crime levels in SA. “I can confirm that on average I get about 10 death threats a year. I have laid a charge with the police. The important thing is that we should never be distracted by these kinds of threats because the reality is that we will always have criminals and trouble-makers.

“If you are a threat to a criminal, they will come for you, that is why we have to make sure that we don’t give up on fighting crime; the minute we give up, we might as well pack our bags and leave SA. But we are not going nowhere and we all have to fight the scourge of crime.”

A former journalist, Abramjee has played an important role in the crack-down on various criminal activities leading to the arrest of criminals, through his various crime-fighting and social cohesion initiatives. In 2012, former president Jacob Zuma bestowed on him the prestigious Order of the Boabab for his contribution to community development through LeadSA.

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