Spanish authorities have issued a warning after scammers used AI-generated videos on TikTok to impersonate Princess Leonor, the 20-year-old heir to Spain’s throne, in an online fraud targeting social media users.
The fake accounts show realistic-looking videos of “Leonor” promising thousands of dollars in financial assistance in exchange for an upfront fee of a few hundred dollars. Victims who pay are then asked for additional payments before the scammers vanish, according to the Princess of Asturias Foundation.
Captured image of a fraudulent TikTok video created using AI, claiming to feature Princess Leonor
The foundation stresses that neither it nor Princess Leonor runs any programs offering money, grants, or personal financial assistance, calling all such messages “completely false.” An investigation by El País (via The Guardian) found that phone numbers linked to the scam were traced to the Dominican Republic, with some videos attracting more than a million views.
Despite TikTok’s rules banning impersonation and fraudulent activity, the newspaper reported that repeated complaints about the fake Leonor accounts were dismissed, with the platform saying the content did not violate its policies. This highlights growing concerns over AI-driven impersonation scams, as increasingly realistic fake videos make it harder for users to distinguish official figures from sophisticated fraud.