Associated Incidents
The director of the Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Dr. Fran Mihaljević, Alemka Markotić, is a frequent target of online scams that are mainly based on videos generated using artificial intelligence, as Faktograf has written about several times (1, 2, 3, [4](htt ps://faktograf.hr/2021/11/26/izjava-alemke-markotic-nije-dokaz-da-se-cvepivo-testira-na-hrvatskoj-djeci/), 5, 6).
On October 17, a video (archived here) was posted on Facebook, apparently showing the TV show, RTL's political satire Stanje nacije, and host Zoran Šprajc presenting the latest news in the studio. A dramatic caption is immediately visible at the bottom of the screen:
"Breaking news: Alemka Markotić was killed at the entrance to her home. Who benefits from the death of a folk doctor and what did she say in her last interview?"
Screenshot / Facebook
Zoran Šprajc simultaneously says: "Doctor Alemka Markotić was murdered at the entrance to her home. The horrific footage appeared online yesterday, the police still haven't found the perpetrators, but Alemka Markotić's family is convinced that she was murdered because of her medicine for joint pain and because of what she said in her last interview. Let's watch this clip."
Then the video cuts to Alemka Markotić, who says in another studio marked "exclusively": "They've been threatening me for three years. You spend thousands of euros a year on their pills, and my medicine will relieve you of arthritis, arthrosis, back, knee, neck and elbow pain with one treatment. My product sells out before we release new series just because it really works and doesn't just evaporate on the skin. We don't use chemicals and analgesics like all other manufacturers do. When you apply it to the skin, it penetrates deep into the joint, finds microcracks and begins to fill them with synovial fluid, which is necessary for joints in old age. So just apply this product to your legs, back or arms before going to bed, and in the morning you will feel relief and lightness. The most important thing is to continue applying it to painful joints and follow the instructions."
The camera returns to Zoran Šprajc in the studio, and we can hear him say: "A rather provocative speech, but the facts presented by the doctor are correct. Her medicine surpasses the sales of the biggest players on the market, and for complete recovery from pain, it is enough to undergo one complete treatment, and not spend thousands of euros on pills every year. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the product via the link attached to this ad, especially since you still have the opportunity to take advantage of state support that will pay 50% of the cost of treatment. Visit the site and take care!"
Publish is attached link to article, graphically designed to resemble the website of the Ministry of Health, with the title: "This method triggers complete regeneration of joint tissue even in the elderly. Arthritis, arthrosis, osteoporosis and 4 other 'old people' joint diseases disappear. A famous Croatian professor told us about a simple method". The author of the alleged article is Marija Šarić, and it was published on October 15, 2024.
Very skilled AI
Although the video seems authentic because of the sound of the voice, and even the movement of the lips corresponds to the spoken words, it is a recording generated by artificial intelligence. Alemka Markotić, of course, was not killed and is not advertising a medicine for treating joints.
Among other things, Markotić attended the final farewell of the long-time director of KBC Zagreb, Ante Ćorušić, at Mirogoj on Wednesday, October 23, as evidenced by Pixsell photos from the scene. In addition, on the clinic's website, Fran Mihaljević Markotić is still listed as its director (https://bfm.hr/ravnateljstvo-2/), and there are no media reports about her death or murder. If the famous doctor had indeed been murdered, it is certain that such news would have been published on all relevant portals.
Also, the director of the Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Dr. Fran Mihaljević, has never produced or advertised a medicine for joint pain. That the recording was generated using artificial intelligence can be detected by a closer examination of the pronunciation of the words. Then it can be seen that the lips move unnaturally at times, and that the tone of the voice does not match the tone of the sentence and punctuation marks.
The same thing happens with Zoran Šprajc's statements in the video. Although the lip movements and pronunciation seem authentic, as does the timbre of the voice, if you listen carefully you will notice that Šprajc in this video emphasizes the palatals, which are louder than usual. Another indicator of a fake video can be that the tone of the voice does not always match the tone of the sentence.
Fake article as a decoy for fraud
In addition to the fake video, the article that users can click on is also controversial. At first glance, the link leads to the website of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia, but the address (URL) of the link itself shows that it is a fraud. The official government websites have the domain gov.hr and the addresses are meaningfully constructed, so for example, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia has the address zdravlje.gov.hr. On the other hand, the link offered in the Facebook post has a series of unrelated numbers and letters in the address, which can immediately indicate to an internet user that there is something suspicious behind it.
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Also, wherever you click on the page, it automatically throws you to the end of the article where there is an offer to purchase the product, and does not lead to the section you clicked on, for example, News, About the Ministry or Contacts.
When the text of the article is examined, there is an immediate suspicion that it was generated or translated using artificial intelligence. Namely, genders are used incorrectly almost everywhere, Alemka Markotić is male in the text - "Croatian professor". A closer reading makes it clear that some sentence constructions are simply not in the spirit of the Croatian language or are used incorrectly, such as "...I strongly do not recommend bringing about (operations, ed.)" or "...if you have never performed procedures aimed at restoring the joint layer, you are more likely to have critical wear and tear".
After a lengthy explanation of joint diseases, what can happen, and several examples of "successful treatment," we come to the last part of the text, where it first warns that there is a shortage of the drug: "Hondrosol is produced in small, limited batches and therefore simply does not reach pharmacies. Unfortunately, most of it goes abroad, some is purchased by private clinics. Getting Hondrosol for ordinary people is really problematic. But now it has become possible to order this drug in our clinic. You can leave a request for it on the website. We decided to allocate part of the purchased batch for this program. True, this batch is small, so it will not be enough for everyone. The request can be left by those who submit it first."
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With this, the fraudsters are trying to lure users in a particularly perfidious way by claiming that the drug, apart from being miraculous, is not in stock for everyone. They are encouraging people to "apply as soon as possible" and fill out a form to participate in the program offered by Markotić and "get a 50 percent discount." According to the figure on the fake page, "there are only six packages of the drug left."
Fake interviews with doctors, a problem that has been going on for years
For years, fraudsters have been using social media to sell citizens fake and potentially dangerous medicines, and two years ago, the Croatian Medical Association in response to Faktograf called on the competent state institutions to urgently react to the emergence of fake interviews with doctors through which people are sold suspicious medical products on the internet.
HALMED (Croatian Agency for Medicines and Medical Products) also reacted at the time and warned citizens not to buy medicines from the illegal supply chain. They also reported that according to research by the World Health Organization (WHO), it is estimated that around 50% of medicines sold via websites are counterfeit.
After neurosurgeon Josip Paladino was repeatedly the victim of such deep fake videos, the Ministry of Health warned of the increasing incidence of false and inaccurate advertisements for so-called medicinal products, preparations and methods. "Such advertisements and texts often contain fabricated statements or interviews with real doctors," they pointed out. They also warned citizens that purchasing medicines online, in classifieds or by e-mail can seriously endanger the health of the person who took them.
What to do in case of fraud?
In September, CERT, a sector of the Croatian and academic research network CARNET, explained to Faktograf what citizens can do if, for any reason, they leave their personal information on suspicious sites.
"Depending on what information was entered on the malicious site, it is necessary to: change the passwords of all connected accounts, especially e-mail, bank accounts and social networks. If bank card information (card number, expiration date and control number) was entered, it is necessary to inform the bank so that all necessary measures can be taken to protect the account and avoid possible abuse. If any contact information (e-mail or phone number) was entered, it is necessary to pay attention to suspicious incoming messages and calls, as the collected information can be used for other frauds," they wrote.
If the money has been withdrawn from the account, it is necessary to contact the bank to block the cards and prevent further transactions. Banks also advise the same.
The Personal Data Protection Agency (AZOP) advises citizens who have participated in fraudulent prize games and forwarded their data to unknown persons to report it to the competent police station: "Given that in this specific case there is reasonable suspicion of the commission of criminal offenses under Article 146 of the Criminal Code (unauthorized use of personal data), as well as other criminal offenses, the Ministry of the Interior and the State Attorney's Office are responsible for investigating the case and prosecuting the perpetrators."
In conclusion, this is another in a series of online scams in which people are tricked into buying suspicious medical products through fake interviews with well-known doctors. The recordings generated using artificial intelligence are so well made that it is difficult to recognize the authenticity, but with more careful monitoring of what is said and the movements of the mouth, the tone of the sentence and other details, this can also be detected. You should be especially careful when opening suspicious links, such as the one attached to the video in this case, but also when providing any personal information on the internet.