Researched by Samuel Nii Adjetey
An Accra-based Television Station, Channel One TV, has debunked a deepfake video which falsely depicts one of its newscasters, Eno Safo, delivering news on a new cryptocurrency trading platform launched and endorsed by the government.
In the 1-minute and 27-second video clip, the newscaster could be heard saying: “Ibrahim Mahama, under the guidance of John Mahama, has launched a financial platform called Crypto DeFrag, which trades automatically without any human involvement.”
The media organisation on May 26 posted the video and labelled it as “Fake” with cautions to the public against falling for the deceptive content.
Channel One statement:
DISCLAIMER: FRAUD ALERT
It has come to the attention of Channel One TV that a fraudulent AI-generated video is being circulated bearing the Channel One TV set and the image of one of our journalists, in an attempt to scam unsuspecting members of the public.
We wish to state categorically that:
• This video is NOT from Channel One TV.
• It has NOT been produced, endorsed, or authorised by Channel One TV or any of our journalists.
• The content is false, deceptive, and malicious.
We urge everyone to immediately ignore the video and to report it on the platform where you see it. Do NOT engage with or respond to any requests or links associated with it. Channel One TV remains committed to professional journalism
Analysis of the video
GhanaFact observed that the video is composed of three segments of Channel One TV’s broadcast that were manipulated.
- The first part of the video shows the TV presenter announcing the launch of a cryptocurrency trading platform.
- The second part shows businessman Ibrahim Mahama in what looks like a press conference setting, seemingly endorsing the platform.
- The final part shows President John Dramani Mahama being falsely portrayed as publicly endorsing the crypto platform.
In this piece, GhanaFact traces the original videos that were cut and joined to achieve the manipulated narrative attributed to Channel One TV.
GhanaFact observed that the video is composed of three segments of Channel One TV’s news broadcast.
Video One
The clip featuring the Channel One TV presenter was taken from a May 16, 2025, ‘Newsfeed’ broadcast posted on Channel One’s official YouTube page.
After carefully listening and watching the full clip of the video, at no point in the broadcast was any news relating to cryptocurrencies mentioned by the host.
The fake video, per our visual analysis, showed notable signs of the content being a deepfake. From the tone of the presenter, which was slurry than her actual voice tonation, and irregular movements of the lips and other facial expressions.
Video Two
Ibrahim Mahama, brother to the current president, is heard allegedly saying: “First of all, I want to make it clear this method is suitable for absolutely everyone, and I guarantee within the first few hours of using it, you’ll start earning real money. 70,000 cedis.
“That’s how much you can earn every month, starting with just 3800 cedis. And it’s already happening across our country. Every single day, Crypto DeFrag sets new records — over 3000 new users daily. And honestly, who wouldn’t want to earn 70,000 Ghanaian cedis a month?”
GhanaFact found a similar video shared by Engineers and Planners on its YouTube Channel on October 3, 2024, where Ibrahim Mahama, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Engineers and Planners, addressed the press after donating 20 police vehicles and three generators to the Liberia Airport Authority.
In the video, Ibrahim speaks about his affinity with Liberia and explains further the reason for his visit and donation to the Liberian police, “we’ve come to say thank you for all the support and all the love you’ve shown us in the past, and we’ve just done the small token,” he said.
Video Three
This portion features President John Mahama saying: “Yes, we did issue a license to this financial platform, Crypto DeFrag, two months ago. I personally oversaw its launch to ensure it’s not a financial scam. Today, I can say with full confidence the platform is 100% legal, transparent, and already generating real income for thousands of Ghanaians.
“Moreover, I guarantee that not a single investor will lose their money. All you need to do is invest 3800 cedis and start earning from the very first day. Our data shows that on average users earn 2300 to 3000 cedis per day, which adds up to as much as 70,000 cedis per month — and those numbers keep growing.”
This clip was sourced from an October 12, 2022, interview on VOA Africa, also available on their official YouTube channel.
It is worth noting elements of deepfake manipulation across the three videos which is dominant in the final production.
What are deepfakes?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, deepfakes are video or sound recordings that replaces someone’s face or voice with that of someone else, in a way that appears real.
They are also referred to as synthetic media, (usually photos, audio or videos) created using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning techniques.
While there are known positive uses, its negative use, especially for mis and disinformation campaigns and in some instances for social engineering or scams, has been serially highlighted.
The term deepfake is a combination of deep learning (a type of AI) and fake (reference to manipulated content). Deepfakes raise concerns about authenticity, trust and potential misuse.
Conclusion
From our findings, GhanaFact can confirm that none of these individuals in the original videos discussed or endorsed the launch of any cryptocurrency trading platform in Ghana.
The supposed broadcast was a series of digitally altered videos aimed at misleading the public and associating individuals with influence to a platform they have no connection.
