Bunkers in Yellowstone?! Deepfake Vid Uses Real Journalists to Promote Fake Housing

Yesterday, our sister site GearJunkie published this story showing how hard it has become to tell real from fake. A fake company promoting a non-existent product using real people to endorse it? As one source comments in the story, it’s a scary new world.

BY ADAM RUGGIERO AND ANDREW MCLEMORE

No, the Trump Administration is not trying to sell 5,000 acres of Yellowstone National Park to build apocalypse-ready “ranger housing.” And no, there is not a company called Bunkers4Everyone lobbying Congress to begin construction on these “eco-friendly housing solutions” (even though you’ll find a very official-looking press release listed on the AP News site).

But even our editors weren’t immediately sure of those truths after the first viewing of an apparent deepfake video posted online last week. The video uses past footage of real journalists from news organization Wyoming News Now. It aims to convince viewers that Bunkers4Everyone is a real company — with a real contract to build bunkers in Yellowstone National Park.

However, the managers and journalists at Wyoming News Now have no knowledge of the video or the company, which continues to baffle readers on forums like Reddit. When contacted by GearJunkie, the manager of Wyoming News Now said the news organization said the video was very concerning.

Companies and people that do not exist

“Welcome to the scary new world of AI,” said Gene Steinberg, the CEO of Marquee Broadcasting, the parent company of Wyoming News Now. “The second shot of our news talent on our set is real (which someone stole). The rest is 100% fake. The voices are AI generated; the graphics are not us; the ‘reporter’ at Yellowstone is not us, but it scares me to death that people can do this.”

Underground bunkers represent a growing cottage industry in the United States. Prepping for disaster with subterranean safe houses has become a booming, multimillion-dollar business, The New York Times reported in 2019. It’s especially popular among the uber-wealthy, The Guardian reported last year.

Bunkers4Everyone appears to take advantage of that world-ending anxiety. A YouTube video promoting the supposed company, published a month ago, stokes fear about the future (“our world is crumbling”) while positing that the company’s affordable bunkers are the answer to escaping your problems. It even promotes the supposed adage of the company’s (likely fake) founder: “Survival shouldn’t be exclusive.”

A screenshot from the Bunkers4Everyone promo video. Photo: YouTube

A convincing fake

When GearJunkie editors viewed these videos (both the YouTube promo and the deepfake of Wyoming News Now), traditional hallmarks of AI were difficult to identify. There are no misshapen hands or unsettling smiles. Also, much of the company information passed cursory checks: a professional-looking Bunkers-4-Everyone website, the aforementioned press release on successful Series A funding, and even a full LinkedIn bio for the not-real company’s CEO, Doug Kelsey.

For anyone who went so far as to Google the company, its founder, or the news outlet that reported on them, the story likely would have passed muster as real. But Doug Kelsey does not appear to be a real person (we could not find any verification of that identity beyond its association with B4E). The only contact information for the company is an email address. So far, no one has responded to GearJunkie’s requests for comment.

The press release on AP News is just reposted paid content with no oversight or fact-checking from AP’s staff. And only a close reading of the B4E’s detailed terms and conditions hints at the subterfuge:

“You further recognize and subtly accept that B4E’s current legal and operational status may be novel or unverified,” the terms state.

No bunkers in Yellowstone

GearJunkie also contacted Yellowstone’s public information office to inquire about any proposals to create bunker housing within the park.

“This is indeed a fake story, with quite a bit of misinformation and erroneous details. There is no underground bunker housing project planned in Yellowstone National Park,” park officials said.

If you want to dive deeper into the deepfake, which we did, you’ll find obfuscated information on the B4E’s domain registration, a litany of quasi-motivational, annoyingly upbeat LinkedIn posts from the not-CEO, and a twisting thread of commenters questioning the veracity not only of these purported bunkers — but of reality itself.

Screenshot: Reddit

Ashley Morgan, the meteorologist for Wyoming News Now, was surprised to see herself presented in a different role in the fake video.

“This is definitely not something we put together,” Morgan told GearJunkie. “I am in this represented as an anchor and I am actually a meteorologist. Thank you again for bringing this to our attention.”

The fake report underscores how easy it is to create disinformation — now more than ever. And while that holds true for any news, it’s crucial to be wary of any information that could influence how we approach and discuss policies around public lands and outdoor recreation.

If you’re suspicious of a company, you can always check in with the Better Business Bureau. This independent agency offers accreditation for businesses and also tracks scams and complaints. Bunkers4Everyone is not listed anywhere on the site.