Catherine Keyl has been warning seniors about internet scammers on behalf of the Ministry of Justice for years. Now, it turns out the 79-year-old TV star herself has fallen victim to one of the most transparent schemes out there. Ironically, the blind are being led by the lame.
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The Ministry of Justice and Security may want to reconsider its contract with Catherine Keyl. While she travels around the country warning seniors about the dangers of internet scams, she has fallen prey to one of the most obvious tricks out there. Unbelievable.
Feeling Sick
It all started with an AI-generated video featuring a fake Oprah Winfrey promoting diet pills. Most people would deem it obviously fake within seconds, yet Catherine watched it longer and ended up ordering €280 worth of pills. Quite alarming.
She admits to having doubts in an interview with Story. However, she thought to herself, “If Oprah looks that good, it must be legit.” Previously, she had used another product that made her feel extremely ill. In the video, an ‘expert’ was interviewed by Oprah, discussing the product for half an hour.
Alarm Bells
According to Catherine, it was an amazing video. “You could lose weight without any side effects! And Oprah looked stunning. I had a moment of doubt about its authenticity, but I quickly reasoned: if it were fake, wouldn’t Oprah have sounded the alarm? I found no information on that, so I placed my order for €280 worth of pills.”
Shortly after, her bank called her. “They asked if I had just made a €280 transaction. When I confirmed, they said they needed to block my debit and credit cards because I had transferred money to scammers. So yes, the video featuring Oprah was indeed fake.”
A Reliable Line?
Catherine lamented, “It was entirely AI-generated.” She went on to express her skepticism about the call from the bank. “I was contacted via a landline, and scammers can do that too. I asked them to call me back through the bank app, a secure channel. They agreed.”
And what now? “I have my new bank cards, but I’m down €280. You really have to stay vigilant.”
Fortunately, she now understands how these scams operate. It’s time for her next senior gathering to spread the word.
