Reports said actor died after plastic surgeries to look like BTS' Jimin. He may have been AI

The various photos of Saint von Colucci on the internet. (Image: @RealEstateHunk and @netizenbuzz on Twitter)

Days ago, reports of Saint Von Colucci, a 22-year-old Canadian actor, dying in a South Korean hospital after suffering complications from multiple cosmetic procedures made headlines across the world. However, now several reports have claimed that the so called 'actor' didn't exist at all and was just a figment of someone's imagination that was brought to life by Artificial Intelligence.

Almost all leading publications around the world published articles on Colucci - an aspiring actor who while trying to look more like BTS star Jimin died of complications. But it was all a trick - an eye-ball grabbing headline with the correct keywords - BTS, Jimin, plastic surgery, actor and death. The perfect clickbait.

There were photos too - before and after the surgery photos. Not just that, the articles were replete with quotes from the 'actor's' so-called manager.

“It’s very tragic and very unfortunate,” his apparent publicist Eric Blake told Dailymail in a press release which the publication ran. Other media houses, seeing Dailymail quote a so-called credible source, also ran with it.

The press release had multiple red flags which were somehow ignored by media houses who received it.

The press release by 'HYPE Public Relations' contained glaring errors and a clumsily written note - that Colucci had spent $220,000 (around Rs 1.80 crore) on 12 plastic surgeries over the past year to look like Jimin for a role on a US streaming network. He died after complications on April 23.

He had apparently moved to South Korea from Canada in 2019 to pursue a career in the music industry and was working as a trainee for a big South Korean entertainment company, the note said. His so-called agent stated Colucci had undergone 12 cosmetic procedures over the past year, including jaw surgery, implants, a facelift, a nose job, eye lift, eyebrow lift, lip reduction, and other minor surgeries to look more 'Korean'.

This 'PR company's' note seemed have no end to red flags. The hospital where Colucci supposedly died did not exist. Many links provided in the release didn't open including his Instagram account. The company also listed it had offices in London and Toronto - but Al Jazeera's search concluded the company was listed just weeks ago.

This music album too was not found on any streaming apps.

Al Jazeera's calls to 'HYPE' went unanswered and a weird text saying "Wtf do you want" was also sent from the given number to the media house.

Apart from these, Colucci has no online footprint, no social media - a red flag especially for someone who apparently moved to a different country to pursue a music and acting career in a different language. He also apparently was starring in a Korean show - there was no comment from that so-called production either.

Read: Drug dealer undergoes plastic surgery to transform into ‘handsome Korean man’

Not just that, even the only two or three photos of him at exist have disturbing features and obvious mistakes clearly pointing to AI interference.

Even social media users, who are AI-savvy, ran the photos used by publications to check for AI interference and concurred that in fact, the photos were generated by AI.

No one came forward to mourn for the 'actor', no one said they knew him personally, raising the question of whether he ever existed at all.

In a press release last year, Von Colucci was described as “the second son of Geovani Lamas, the CEO of IBG Capital, Europe’s top hedge fund company”.

While Lamas has nothing on his online, IBG capital exists but in Arizona, US.

This misinformation campaign highlights how easily people can be manipulated by showing them just the right things - and without verification - even the biggest of tabloids can fall prey to hoaxes.