Free mini-course: five short steps in your browser
Check a suspicious celebrity or expert video ad in 5 stepsthe ask and source, a pause, the offer outside the ad, clues, and a dated record
TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. A five-step routine for a video ad that may use a generated or cloned celebrity, expert or founder. Progress stays in this browser.
No checker on this page can reliably tell a deepfake ad from a genuine one. A TimeBind does not show that a video is real or fake or that an offer is genuine. The steps are a routine, not a verdict on any one ad.
Start the five steps
Each step is short and ends with one or two checks. Your progress is saved in this browser only. Nothing you choose is sent to TimeBinder. The course uses invented examples only, no real person, firm or ad, and own-made diagrams.
Your progress is saved in this browser only. Choices stay on this device and are not sent to TimeBinder or tied to your name.
Step 1 of 5. 0 of 5 complete.
Step 1. Name the ask, the video and the source
A video ad shows a well-known figure, a doctor, a financial “expert” or a founder talking up a product, an investment or a giveaway. Before you react to the face, write the ask in one line (what you are being invited to click, buy, deposit or message, and what return or benefit is promised) and note where it reached you: a social feed ad, a sponsored post, a video site, a text or a chat group. Then keep three things apart: what the video shows, what it asks you to do, and who posted or paid for it. State securities regulators warn that AI is used to create realistic videos or audio of well-known figures promoting investments with high or guaranteed returns, and that the same technique can imitate an adviser, family member or friend.
Check 1. Match each part to what it means
Tap a part, then tap the meaning that fits it best.
Check 2. A video ad shows a well-known doctor praising a supplement with a 50%-off timer
What is the best first move?
Step 2. Pause: a familiar face is not an endorsement
A face and voice can be generated or cloned, and a genuine clip can be cut, dubbed or re-used to say something its owner never said. A polished video therefore tells you little, and a clumsy one tells you little too, because some scams use ordinary editing. The pattern to notice is the pressure: guaranteed or unusually high returns, a countdown, “limited places”, a request to move to a private chat app, payment in cryptocurrency or by unusual methods, and reluctance to meet or to be checked. A regulator advisory published in September 2026 lists online ads promoting investments from celebrities or public figures, unusual facial or body movements, awkward phrasing, crypto payment requests and excuses when asked to verify credentials among its red flags. If money would leave your account, do not click through, deposit or message yet, and move to Step 3.
Check 1. Which statement is the honest one?
Check 2. The video looks smooth and the voice sounds right
What does that tell you?
Step 3. Check the offer and the seller outside the ad
The strongest check is outside the video. Do not use the link, phone number or chat handle in the ad. Instead, find the person or firm yourself: type the official website address you already know, or search for it, and see whether the offer appears there and in their own verified channels. For anything that sounds like an investment, check whether the seller and the product are registered with your securities regulator (in the US, your state regulator or the SEC’s and FINRA’s lookups) and look at the regulator’s published alerts. For a health or product claim from a supposed expert, check the person’s credentials with the licensing body, not the ad. Search the company name with words like “review” and “scam”, check when the domain was registered, and ask a registered professional or someone you trust before you act. Run a reverse search on a frame from the video to see whether the footage comes from an older, unrelated clip. If you cannot confirm, say so and treat the ad as unconfirmed.
Check 1. Which of these are sound verification moves?
Tick all that apply.
Check 2. The ad links to a site that asks you to join a private chat and pay in crypto
What is the sensible step?
Step 4. Clues and context: movement, wording, site and payment
If the original is out of reach, look for clues and treat them as clues. Do lip movements match the words? Do the eyes, teeth, hands or hair move oddly? Is the audio flat, oddly paced or phrased in a way the person would not use? Does the clip loop, cut often or hide the mouth? Does the landing page have a new domain, no contact details or company address, copied testimonials, a countdown, or a form asking for ID or a wallet? Are the comments switched off, or are they all suspiciously similar? Good fakes can show none of these, and real videos can show some, because of compression and bad lighting. Online “deepfake detector” services return a score, not a verdict, and can be wrong in both directions. This site cannot tell you reliably whether a video or voice was generated, and a clean result from any check does not make an offer genuine.
Check 1. The speaker’s lips look slightly off and the page was set up last month
Check 2. What carries the most weight about an offer in a video ad?
Step 5. Decide, report, and keep a dated record
Honest outcomes include “confirmed with the official source and a regulator register”, “could not be confirmed, so I did not act” and “this looks like a scam, reported”. Do not send money, share ID or give access to an account on the strength of an ad. Report the ad inside the platform where you saw it, and report fraud to your national and state authorities (in the US, the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, the FBI’s IC3 and your state securities regulator). If you have already paid, contact your bank or card provider at once, and beware of anyone who offers to recover the money for a fee. If the ad may matter later (a platform complaint, a bank claim, a report on behalf of a client), save it: a screen recording or screenshots with the page address and date visible, the landing page, any messages and payment records, and notes of what you checked and when. A TimeBind records that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time, and that a later copy still matches its SHA-256 fingerprint, anchored to Bitcoin. It does not show that a video is real or fake, who made it, or that an offer is genuine. First Pooled TimeBind is free, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
Check 1. What can a TimeBind show about an ad recording you saved?
Check 2. You could not confirm the offer. What now?
You have finished all five steps
Progress stays in this browser. You can revisit any step above. If you saved the ad or lost money, report it and keep the original files and notes.
How do you check a suspicious celebrity or expert video ad? The short answer
Work through five steps: write down the ask (what you are invited to click, buy or deposit and what is promised) and where the ad reached you; pause, because faces and voices can be generated or cloned and guaranteed returns, countdowns and crypto payment requests are the pressure to notice; check the offer and the seller outside the ad by finding the official site yourself, checking regulator registers and alerts or licensing bodies, running a reverse search on a frame and asking someone you trust; weigh clues such as odd lip or body movement, awkward wording, a new site with no contact details and unusual payment methods as clues only; then decide, do not act on an unconfirmed ad, report it, and keep the recording, the page address and your notes.
None of this tells you for certain whether a video or voice was generated, and an online detector score is a clue at most. A TimeBind of an exact file can show that it existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not show that a video is real or fake, who made it, or that an offer is genuine.
Why this course, in November 2026
Search suggestions checked on 13 November 2026 are thin for direct phrasing (“how to spot a deepfake ad” and “deepfake investment ad” returned nothing, while “ai generated ad scam” returned “youtube ai generated scam ads”), so we do not claim measured search volume. Demand evidence here is public and recent instead. The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) published an investor advisory in September 2026 describing deepfake and voice-clone scams that use well-known figures to promote investments. Securities and consumer protection offices in New York, the District of Columbia and Tennessee have also published alerts about deepfake or AI-assisted investment scams and impersonation. None of this says that a video can be settled by looking at it.
Sources: NASAA Informed Investor Advisory, “Sorry, Your Adviser May Be a Fake” (September 2026), DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking: Deepfake Investment Scams, New York Department of State consumer alert on AI investment scams and Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance advisory on impersonation scams (December 2025). Rules and reporting routes differ by country.
This is the twelfth course in the series. The first, Spot AI fakes in 5 short lessons, is a general introduction, the second, Verify a viral video in 5 steps, is a workflow for any single clip, and the third, Check a suspicious voice message in 5 steps, covers voice messages and calls. This one is narrower: a paid or promoted video that uses a trusted face to sell you something, where the key move is checking the offer and the seller outside the ad. For a suspicious website or login page see Check a suspicious website or login page in 5 steps, and for a map or satellite image see Check a map or satellite image that may be AI-made or edited in 5 steps. All sit under the public guide to protecting yourself from AI forgeries.
What each step can show, and what it cannot
The honest job of this routine is to slow a click or a payment and leave you with notes you can show. See also synthetic media and existed no later than in the glossary.
| Step | What it can show | What it cannot show |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ask and source | What you are asked to do, what is promised, and who posted or paid for the ad and where. | That the person shown endorsed it, or that the offer is genuine. |
| 2. Pause | Whether guaranteed returns, countdowns, secrecy or crypto payment are part of the pattern. | Whether a video or voice was generated. Polish proves nothing, and neither does clumsiness. |
| 3. Outside the ad | Whether the official site, a regulator register or licensing body and someone you trust confirm the offer and the seller. | That an ad is fake because one source denies it, or real because one confirms it. Each is one input. |
| 4. Clues and context | What lip and body movement, wording, the landing page and payment requests suggest. Metadata is often stripped and can be edited. | Truth or authorship. A clean-looking video or a detector score settles nothing. |
| 5. Decide, report, keep | What you checked and found, and that an exact saved recording existed no later than a recorded time, with a later copy still matching its SHA-256 fingerprint. | That a video is real or fake, who made it, or that an offer is genuine. |
If an ad may matter later
If an ad could become part of a platform complaint, a bank claim or a report, a dated record of the exact files you keep helps:
- Save what you saw: a screen recording or screenshots with the page address and date visible, the landing page, any messages and payment records. Add notes on where the ad appeared and what you checked.
- Make a TimeBind of each file. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file stays on your device. You can later download a Proof of Time Certificate.
- Store the files, the certificates and your notes together. Use the file date and metadata inspector or the file-changed answer to compare a copy later.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15. A TimeBind does not show that a video is real or fake or that an offer is genuine.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it. This is general information, not legal advice.
Check a suspicious celebrity or expert video ad: FAQ
Can this course tell me whether a video ad is a deepfake?
No. No checker on this page, and no tool on this site, can reliably tell a deepfake ad from a genuine one. The steps help you check the ask, confirm the offer and the seller outside the ad and weigh clues. “Could not confirm, so I did not act” is a valid result.
Can I spot a deepfake ad by odd lips, eyes or hands?
Not reliably. Regulators list unusual facial or body movement as a red flag, but real clips can show it through compression and good fakes may show none. Treat it as a clue, and judge the offer and the seller.
How do I check whether a celebrity or expert really endorsed something?
Do not use the ad’s link. Find the person’s or firm’s official site and verified channels yourself and see whether the endorsement appears there, and check credentials with the relevant licensing body or regulator register.
What should I do if I already sent money or details?
Contact your bank or card provider at once, report the ad on the platform and to your national and state authorities (in the US, reportfraud.ftc.gov, IC3 and your state securities regulator), and beware of anyone who offers to recover the money for a fee.
Does a TimeBind show that a video is real or fake?
No. A TimeBind shows that an exact file, such as a screen recording of an ad you saved, existed no later than a recorded time and that a later copy still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the video, that it is real or fake, or that an offer is genuine.
Where is my progress saved?
In this browser only, using localStorage. Choices are not sent to TimeBinder and are not tied to your name. Clearing site data, or using another browser, starts the steps again.
Is the course free?
Yes. The five steps and the checks run in your browser at no charge. If you later make a TimeBind, the first Pooled TimeBind is free, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
Related guides and tools
- Verify a viral video in 5 stepsThe second mini-course: a workflow for any single clip
- Check a suspicious voice message in 5 stepsUseful when the pitch also arrives as a call or voice note
- Spot AI fakes in 5 short lessonsThe first mini-course: labels, reverse image search, voice scams and more
- Verify a viral news clip in 5 stepsWhen the video claims to be a news report
- Protect yourself from AI forgeriesThe public guide behind the series
- Real or AI? quizPractise on own-made and public-domain images
- File date and metadata inspectorSee what a file’s own details say
Date the exact files you keep
Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file, kept while you still have it.
- Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
- Add your files. They stay on your computer.
- Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.