North Pole Almost Lost in Santa Deepfake

How Stewart Title Saved Christmas

It’s well known that Stewart Title is adept at handling unusual and downright extraordinary title and escrow issues. While most days we work through multisite transactions that twinkle across the country or resolve problems that send other underwriters dashing away, our expertise also extends into properties so rare they can only be described as magical. Sometimes even peppermint-scented magical.

That’s exactly why Santa Claus himself jingled our way when he needed to reassign the title to the North Pole. He wanted to establish legal property ownership and all associated rights for Jim Frost, estranged brother of Jack. At least, it seemed to be Santa on our, er, joyful videoconference call. The twinkling lights were bright, the cocoa was hot and the beard looked fluffy enough, but something felt frostier than usual.

We’ll let the video speak for itself.

How to Spot Deepfake Videos

As more businesses find themselves navigating high-tech trickery, it’s important to know how to spot a deepfake before it melts your trust faster than a snowman in July. Even advanced AI systems can’t always recreate the subtle complexity of real facial movement or natural environmental lighting in videos.

Train staff to watch for irregularities such as:

• Blinking that looks forced, repetitive or completely absent
• Reflections in glasses or pupils that stay frozen or don’t match nearby light sources
• Shadows appearing in places that contradict the visible lighting in the background
• A face that seems to move independently of the neck and shoulders as if the head is “fixed”
• Smudged, blurry or warped edges where the face meets the hairline or neck

While sync technology is highly sophisticated, deepfakes may still reveal small timing errors. Employees should watch and listen for:

• A delay, typically around a fraction of a second, between mouth movement and the spoken words
• Audio that sounds mechanical, clipped or carries odd intonation relative to the statement

Beyond technical flaws, simple real-time challenges can help expose an AI-generated video by pushing it beyond what it was trained to mimic. Encourage employees to:

• Ask the person to turn fully to one side revealing a profile view that may cause distortion
• Request an unexpected movement such as briefly covering part of the face or touching their nose
• Pose a question that only the real individual would know and that isn’t publicly available

Has Someone Tried to Steal the North Pole Before?

As it turns out, this wasn’t Jim Frost’s first attempt at creating holiday havoc. His deepfake trickery was just the latest snowball in a swirl of frosty mischief. Let’s sleigh back to 2022. Take a look at this excerpt from an email by Jutta Hammerschlaugen, Senior Claims Counsel, Polar Region. It’s a festive flashback that proves even in the land of candy canes and cocoa, title drama can howl like a blizzard:

Now, what about this Jim Frost character? You’ll love this. He marched into court on Monday with some chump solicitor named Champ Pattymelt. I suspect this is an alias.

In court, Frost said he was willed the North Pole 128 years ago when his dad, Father Winter, passed away. Except Jim had been grieving so long, he only got around to filing the claim just this month. His counsel introduced their stack of documents into evidence – purporting to be official Magical Land Title Association (MaLTA) forms.

Well, we raised an authenticity issue. As you know, all MaLTA docs have a binding spell that’s more powerful than any modern-day block chain. Frost presented no proof of spellcasting before the judge. We countered with the authentic documents from the original transaction. Pattymelt tried a couple of card tricks, but His Honor was not impressed.

This guy is a total fraud. (You know what a pain fraudsters can be in this business.) Jim Frost has no more right to the North Pole than a guy with a Monopoly game does to Atlantic City. He finally admitted Father Winter never possessed the North Pole to will it to anyone. Anyway, we put the authorities onto this subtemperate clown and he’ll never be heard from again. He’s on an ice floe somewhere, last I heard.

Here’s the Whole Backstory on How Stewart Saved Christmas

Below you can see some emails between members of our Claims department that touch on the highlights of this case and a copy of Santa's title policy.

See the Original Stewart Saved Christmas Documentary on Santa’s Title Insurance Protection

For those wanting the full story complete with twinkling lights, jingling bells and an unforgettable lesson, be sure to watch our original documentary. It’s a festive reminder that even at the North Pole, strong title protection keeps Christmas bright.

Important Notice Regarding Magical Title and Escrow Services

While there are certain similarities to standard title policy forms, folks here in the US would recognize there are some striking differences with a Magical Land Title Association policy. Those putting together the title work on a magical land transaction should be prepared for a host of issues not faced in standard real estate transactions. 

Jim Frost may not have access to the best AI tools, but cybercriminals do. Deepfakes are a serious threat to the real estate industry. Visit here to learn how to protect yourself.

To learn more about title insurance and how we protect property ownership, visit stewart.com/home.