How to Detect Deepfakes in 2025 and Protect Your Team
Deepfakes left the novelty phase. Fraudsters now mix synthetic video, voice, and imagery to siphon cash, leak data, and crash reputations. With dozens of consumer-grade generators shipping in 2025, every media touchpoint deserves the same scrutiny finance teams apply to invoices. Use this guide to run rapid checks, pick the right forensic tools, and lock in response procedures for individuals and companies.
Want to understand what today's generators can produce? Our AI video tools comparison breaks down strengths and weaknesses so you know where to look for artifacts.
30-second triage checklist
| Step | What to inspect | Red flags | How to verify quickly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Context | Source, publication channel, repost history | No link to origin, brand-new account | Reverse-image search with Google Lens or TinEye |
| 2. Lighting & micro-movements | Shadow consistency, eye tracking, lip sync | "Swimming" shadows, frozen facial muscles | Zoom in and replay at 0.25x speed on YouTube |
| 3. Audio | Breathing, natural pauses, emotion | Flat delivery, mis-stressed syllables, no breaths | Analyse with Detect Fakes or Resemble Detect |
| 4. Metadata | EXIF/ICC data, device IDs | Missing timestamps, unusual camera signatures | Inspect via ExifTool or Forensically |
Tip: Request the original file if a clip arrives via messaging apps. WhatsApp and Telegram compress uploads, often removing the metadata you need.
Deep-dive tool stack for 2025
Still images
- Hive Moderation Deepfake Detector -- API that spots GAN artifacts in photos and frames. Free tier covers 100 calls a month.[^1]
- Intel FakeCatcher (web) -- reads facial blood-flow signals (photoplethysmography); lab accuracy sits around 96%.
Video and live meetings
- Reality Defender -- monitors Zoom and Google Meet sessions for suspicious faces or voices in real time.
- Microsoft Video Authenticator -- outputs a confidence score you can use as a first-pass newsroom filter.
Voice spoofing
- Pindrop Pulse -- SaaS scoring voice biometrics to defend contact centres from synthetic callers.
- ElevenLabs Voice Detector -- tells creators whether a clip was generated, even if another model produced it.
Company response checklist
- Approval policy. Define who signs off on executive media. Any message attributed to the CEO or CFO requires two-person verification.
- Awareness training. Bake deepfake drills into onboarding and annual security refreshers using real fraud cases.
- Confirmation channels. Route unusual payment requests through pre-approved verification (Signal, secure VoIP) before action.
- Investigation log. Track every review with date, asset link, and analyst notes to accelerate comms or legal escalations.
- Legal templates. Draft takedown notices referencing DMCA or local law so you can petition platforms immediately.
Personal incident playbook
| Scenario | First move | Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Fake "family emergency" call | Ring back using a saved number and ask a challenge question | Phonebook, family passphrase |
| Bogus press release | Cross-check official channels, ping PR contacts | RSS reader, newsroom Slack channel |
| Viral fake video | Download the original, archive the URL, run diagnostics, submit a report | InVID, YouTube Ingest, platform abuse forms |
| Manipulated email thread | Sign sensitive messages with PGP or DKIM watermarks | ProtonMail, corporate SMTP with DKIM |
When a deepfake is confirmed
- Contain distribution. Notify the platform trust team and brief journalists with evidence before coverage spikes.
- Preserve evidence. Store screenshots, file hashes, and detector outputs in secured cloud storage.
- Publish a statement. Roll out pre-approved messaging across every owned channel to control the narrative.
- Automate monitoring. Spin up keyword alerts and push hits into n8n for automated notifications (workflow example in our automation comparison).
- Mobilise allies. Ask partners and customers to re-share the rebuttal--the faster your side spreads, the less damage lands.
Additional resources
- ESET Security Blog -- refreshed guidance on visual and audio tells to revisit frequently.[^2]
- NIST AI Risk Management Framework -- blueprints for embedding AI risk controls across the organisation.[^3]
- OECD AI Incident Monitor -- live database of AI misuse incidents for benchmarking response maturity.
There is no single "off switch." As deepfakes improve, protection depends on layered processes, disciplined review habits, and fast communication.
[^1]: Hive Moderation. "AI Content Detection Suite." Updated September 2025. [^2]: ESET. "How to Detect Deepfakes: The 2025 Guide." October 2025. [^3]: NIST. "AI Risk Management Framework." Version 1.1, July 2025.