# Klarna processed payments for nine months for shops advertising with celebrity deepfakes

Source: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-incidents/klarna-2026-deepfake-pill-ads-payments
Last updated: Oct 21, 2026

Klarna · AI used against the institution · severity 2 of 5

TV4's investigative programme Kalla fakta reported on 23 February 2026 that Klarna had for nine months served as a payment method for webshops run by a Dutch company that sold so-called miracle pills, claimed to cure cancer and epilepsy, using AI-generated deepfake videos of Swedish celebrities. According to TV4, Klarna ended the cooperation in January 2026 only after the programme contacted it, and also cut off ten further shops making illegal health claims. Chief executive Sebastian Siemiatkowski called the fraud "terrible" but said legal responsibility lay mainly with the acquirer between Klarna and the shops. Finansinspektionen's deputy director general said the regulator would take action if it saw a need. No loss total has been reported.

## Key facts

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Date | Jan 2026 (disclosed Feb 23, 2026) |
| Institution | Klarna |
| Country | Sweden |
| AI system | AI-generated deepfake videos of Swedish celebrities used in social-media advertising (third-party, not Klarna's) |
| AI? | Machine-learning system (inferred from the record) — The sources describe a machine-learning model; nobody on the record labelled it AI. |
| Category | Deepfake fraud (AI used against the institution) |
| Status | Reported |
| Severity | 2 of 5 — Limited, unquantified consumer harm: elderly and sick buyers paid for falsely marketed pills through Klarna, with 13 complaints to the consumer agency naming Klarna as the payment method; no loss total, and Finansinspektionen said only that it would act if it saw a need. |

## What happened?

According to Kalla fakta, a Dutch company targeting Sweden sold capsules under several names, including Calm X and Leaf Lab, with claims that they cured cancer, epilepsy, heart disease and other serious illnesses. The advertising used AI-generated videos in which Swedish celebrities and public figures, among them a doctor from TV4's morning show, appeared to endorse the product. Breakit, reporting on the programme, described the products as CBD pills. [1][2]

TV4 reported that Klarna had acted as a payment intermediary for the scheme for nine months and that an elderly buyer it interviewed went ahead with his order because seeing Klarna at checkout "gave a certain credibility". Kalla fakta reviewed 22 complaints to the Swedish Consumer Agency about the company; in 13 Klarna was the payment method and in at least six customers had complained to Klarna. Klarna ended the cooperation in January 2026, after Kalla fakta contacted it. [1][2][3]

On 24 February 2026 Kalla fakta reported that Klarna was the payment method for at least eleven webshops whose marketing broke Swedish medicines and food law, according to the Medical Products Agency and the Food Agency. Klarna stopped working with them once informed and said it had opened a wider investigation at the acquirers to check for other merchants breaking the rules. [4]

Former prosecutors interviewed by TV4 said Klarna's conduct could amount to money laundering in the course of business or aiding fraud. Klarna disputes that legal responsibility rests with it: Siemiatkowski said the business relationship was held by the acquirer, which must ensure merchants follow the rules. On 17 March 2026 Kalla fakta reported internal police emails showing that the National Fraud Centre had declined to file a crime report naming Klarna's chief executive as a suspect and was instead working with Klarna on its vulnerabilities. [1][6]

## Timeline

- Jan 2026 — Klarna stops the cooperation with the Dutch company's webshops after Kalla fakta contacts it, nine months after it began serving as their payment method, according to TV4. [1][3]
- Feb 23, 2026 — Kalla fakta broadcasts its investigation; Breakit and other outlets report it. [1][2]
- Feb 24, 2026 — Kalla fakta reports Klarna was the payment method for at least eleven webshops with illegal health claims; Klarna ends those relationships. [4]
- Feb 25, 2026 — Finansinspektionen's deputy director general says the regulator has seen the investigation and will take action if it sees a need. [5]
- Mar 17, 2026 — Kalla fakta reports the police National Fraud Centre declined to file a crime report against Klarna's chief executive and chose cooperation with Klarna instead. [6]

## What was the impact?

- Customers: Unquantified; 13 of 22 consumer-agency complaints about one seller named Klarna as the payment method, many from elderly buyers
- Other: Klarna was the payment method for the Dutch seller's shops for about nine months and for at least ten other shops with illegal health claims, per TV4. No total of consumer losses has been published. [1][3][4]

## How did Klarna respond?

Siemiatkowski told Kalla fakta he was "so damn sad and angry" that such frauds exist and called it terrible, but said: "We do everything we can, but one must remember to distinguish that, ultimately, it is purely legally not our responsibility." Klarna said it took the matter seriously and had initiated a broader investigation at the acquirers, and that it had reviewed how warning signals would be followed up. Communications head Joel Hedin said Klarna had long cooperated closely with the police on fraud prevention. [1][2][3][4][6]

## What was the outcome?

Klarna ended the merchant relationships. Finansinspektionen said it had taken note of the investigation and would act if it saw a need; no FI decision has been found as of 2026-10-21. Police did not open a criminal investigation of Klarna, according to the emails Kalla fakta obtained. [4][5][6]

## FAQ

### What did Kalla fakta reveal about Klarna?

TV4's Kalla fakta reported in February 2026 that Klarna had for nine months been a payment method for webshops selling so-called miracle pills advertised with AI-generated deepfake videos of Swedish celebrities, and that it ended the cooperation only after the programme contacted it.

### Did Finansinspektionen act against Klarna over the deepfake pill shops?

Finansinspektionen's deputy director general Malin Alpen told Kalla fakta the regulator had taken part of the investigation and would take action if it saw a need. No FI decision or sanction connected to the case had been published as of October 2026.

### Does Klarna accept responsibility for the payments?

Klarna disputes legal responsibility. Chief executive Sebastian Siemiatkowski said the business relationship was held by an acquirer between Klarna and the shops, which had to ensure merchants followed the rules, while saying Klarna wants to take more responsibility than the law requires. Former prosecutors interviewed by TV4 disagreed.

### Were the deepfakes made by Klarna?

No. The AI-generated celebrity videos were made by the sellers' side to advertise the pills; Klarna's role, according to TV4, was as a payment method at checkout, which an elderly buyer said made the shop seem credible. The case is about merchant oversight, not Klarna's own AI.

## Sources

1. [Så möjliggör Klarna köp av bluffpiller: ”Verkade autentiskt”](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/4VnhKCE1izZ8BehdH297R4/bluffmakare-salde-mirakelpiller-med-hjaelp-av-klarna) — TV4 (Kalla fakta), Feb 23, 2026 (news): "Kalla faktas granskning visar att Klarna under nio månader agerat som betalningsförmedlare i bedrägeriet."
2. [Sålde ”mirakelpiller” med deepfakes – gick att betala via Klarna](https://www.breakit.se/artikel/45533/salde-mirakelpiller-med-deepfakes-gick-att-betala-via-klarna) — Breakit, Feb 23, 2026 (news): "Kalla fakta avslöjar att Klarna har fungerat som betalningsalternativ för bluffbolaget i nio månader, och samarbetet avbröts först en vecka efter att redaktionen informerat bolaget om bedrägeriet."
3. [Klarna ignorerade kundernas larm – fortsatte samarbetet](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/6fy17oBbaO677E9An3SFV7/klarna-ignorerade-kundernas-larm-fortsatte-samarbetet) — TV4 (Kalla fakta), Feb 24, 2026 (news): "Totalt finns 22 anmälningar om vilseledande marknadsföring och andra problem. I 13 av fallen framgår att Klarna använts som betaltjänst, och i minst sex fall har kunder varit i kontakt med Klarna för att klaga."
4. [Betaljätten Klarna samarbetar med minst elva bluffshoppar](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/1nIKml0hbr70letOKkFdL6/ignorerade-larmen-fran-aeldre-fram-till-kalla-fakta-hoerde-av-sig) — TV4 (Kalla fakta), Feb 24, 2026 (news): "”Vi ser allvarligt på detta och har därför tagit initiativ till en bredare utredning hos inlösarna för att säkerställa att de inte har fler anslutna handlare som bryter mot reglerna”, skriver Klarna i en kommentar till Kalla fakta."
5. [FI: ”Ska följa upp Klarna”](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/VpbhDHgul4MCmY2yBP6eG/finansinspektionen-ska-foelja-upp-klarna) — TV4 (Kalla fakta), Feb 25, 2026 (news): "– Om vi ser behov av åtgärder från vår sida kommer vi vidta sådana, säger biträdande generaldirektör Malin Alpen."
6. [Polisen stoppade anmälan mot Klarnas vd – kan vara tjänstefel](https://www.tv4.se/artikel/6gKleTPEBQFc330cjcWrDX/polisen-stoppade-anmaelan-mot-klarnas-vd-kan-vara-tjaenstefel) — TV4 (Kalla fakta), Mar 17, 2026 (news): "Men istället för att utreda misstankarna vill Nationellt bedrägericentrum samarbeta med Klarna - det visar interna polismejl som Kalla fakta tagit del av."

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