AI Deepfakes Are Mimicking Pastors to Attempt Scamming Their Congregations

Father Mike Schmitz, a Catholic priest and podcaster, shared a unique message with his audience of over 1.2 million YouTube subscribers in November. He cautioned that not everything he said could be trusted, pointing out that sometimes those weren’t even his words—or his voice. Schmitz had become a victim of AI-generated impersonation scams.

“You’re being watched by a demonic human,” proclaimed the phony Schmitz in one clip that the real Schmitz, dressed in an L.L. Bean jacket over his clerical attire, featured in a public service announcement. “You must act quickly, because the slots for sending prayers are already filling up,” advised another impostor, with an ominous hourglass behind him. The imitation Schmitz sounded slightly robotic as he urged viewers to click a link and secure their blessings before time ran out.

“I can look at them and say ‘That’s absurd, I would never say that,’” remarked the actual Schmitz, who resides in Duluth, Minnesota, in his clarifying video. “But people can’t necessarily distinguish. That’s a significant issue. That’s, like, a really big issue.”

In the authentic video featuring Schmitz, several top comments from his supporters noted they had seen AI videos impersonating other prominent Catholic figures, including the pope. Rachel Tobac, a cybersecurity expert and CEO of SocialProof Security, pointed out that pastors have become popular targets for AI scams and misleading media.

“If you’re scrolling through TikTok or Reels, they’ve probably appeared on your For You page,” Tobac explains. “This is someone who appears to be a priest, fully robed, standing at a pulpit or a stage, and they seem to be energetically addressing their congregation.”

Ministers and pastors in Birmingham, Alabama, Freeport, New York, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, have alerted their followers about AI scams posing as them through direct messages, calls, and deepfakes. Alan Beauchamp, a pastor in the Ozarks, reported that his Facebook account was compromised, with the hacker posting a fake, potentially AI-generated cryptocurrency trading certificate in Beauchamp’s name, encouraging his followers to participate. A megachurch in the Philippines reported instances of deepfakes featuring its pastors. An evangelical church in Nebraska issued an AI “scammer alert” on Facebook, with one church member sharing a screenshot of messages allegedly from one of their pastors in the comments.

The situation is exacerbated by the fact that many pastors and ministers with substantial online followings often do solicit donations and sell products, although not the same items that their AI impersonators promote. Thanks to social media, religious leaders can connect with believers far beyond their local communities, but the increasing volume of content featuring their images and voices has also created an ideal environment for scammers using generative AI tools.