EXCLUSIVE | 

DJ Carey’s family slam ‘sick reports’ as dozens of news sites claim hurling legend took own

life

Family’s shock at seeing sick hoax news reports saying former hurling star had died by suicide

Today at 07:50

A family member of former Kilkenny hurling star DJ Carey has spoken of her horror after multiple false news articles and videos appeared online wrongly claiming the embattled 52-year-old has died by suicide.

The reports – designed to appear as genuine online news articles – have been widely shared on social media sites since Thursday and may have been generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence).

One article titled ‘Carey death: Former Kilkenny hurler has died from suicide’ carried the by-line ‘Jazmine Woods’.

However, subsequent searches for a journalist of this name failed to find any evidence that such an individual exists.

A shocked family member of DJ Carey’s told Sunday World: “I don’t know why anyone would do this, but it has caused a huge amount of shock and hurt to us – his (DJ’s) family.

“I got a phone-call about this at 12.30pm yesterday – a friend of mine, in a bit of a panic, who said there are rumours and I thought to myself, ‘oh Jesus, what rumours’?”

The shocked family member said she was then told the rumour was that DJ had died by suicide.

The family member said she then rang a sibling who is helping looking after DJ – whose address, following his recent court appearance, was listed as no fixed abode.

She continued, much to her relief, that this relative had told her: “No, no, he’s okay – he’s here.

“But at that stage,” she said, “the thing had gone rife.”

Differing versions of the article – essentially containing the same false information but using different authors’ names – have since popped on websites across the world.

And they have now also been turned into videos on YouTube with individuals narrating the content from the articles on camera.

An expert who spoke to the Sunday World said it appears likely the online articles may have been AI generated.

“It’s quite possible,” he said, “data entered online and on social media relating to this individual, resulted in an artificial intelligence generating content for these websites.

“Without examining the data on these stories in detail, I can’t say with any degree of certainty that this is what happened here.

“But from your description of the content, it appears likely.”

“And, it’s what makes the work of actual journalists, in checking these reports and verifying their accuracy with sources, more important now than it has ever been before.”

The scale of misinformation and false news reports being generated by AI-operated websites is being monitored by, among other organisation’s, Newsguard.

According to recently published figures, Newsguard has identified 528 (and counting) AI-generated news and information sites ‘now operating with little or no human oversight.’

Speaking to the Sunday World, DJ’s family member revealed that shortly afterwards she was phoned by her friend and was sent one of the false articles on the ex-hurler’s death.

She said the original article she was sent was posted on a website called ‘Youlaif.com’ and appeared under the headline ‘Is DJ Carey dead or not? Suicide news of former Kilkenny hurler sparks social media debate.’

The Sunday World has since established that ‘Youlaif.com’ is based in Ikeja, Nigeria and styles itself as ‘a Christian lifestyle website that specializes in producing daily content that will help you fulfil your God given purpose.’

“It was this weird, weird website saying how sad it was that he had taken his own life and all this crazy stuff,” the family member said.

“It’s a very strange website because it doesn’t seem to even publish these kind of stories.

“But it seems to have gone viral and global – people were crying over this, it’s crazy.

“Is it even possible to trace where this has come from?

“They’re not even click-bait websites and that’s why it’s so strange. Who would have done this? And why?

“But he’s alive so it’s untrue … but it did go viral and get around in a very short space of time.

“And it’s caused huge upset to people abroad, from nieces and nephews and aunts and uncle.

“We are shocked by it.

“This family is already going through enough without something like this.”

Carey was charged last month with a number of counts of deception and forgery as part of an alleged cancer treatment scam.

He appeared at Blanchardstown District Court on September 29, where he was charged with 21 fraud offences – 19 of deception and two of using a false instrument.

Among those he is alleged to have defrauded are billionaire businessman Denis O’Brien, retired Wexford hurler Larry O’Gorman and former Clare hurler Tony Griffin.

Carey was granted bail on a range of conditions, including signing on at a Garda station and keeping the gardaí informed about any travel abroad.

The court sent the case forward to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on November 3 next, after being told that a book of evidence was being served on him.

Free legal aid was granted following an application from solicitor Edward Hughes, with the judge remarking that from the information given to him it appeared Carey had “no income whatsoever”.

Mr Hughes said the case was likely to be a “heavily documented prosecution” with very difficult charges to defend.

Carey has not yet entered a plea.

The nine-time All-Star hurler, who won five All-Ireland senior titles, is accused of “dishonestly by deception” inducing Mr O’Brien to give him money to pay for cancer treatment on unknown dates between January 1, 2014 and September 18, 2022 contrary to Section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.

The amount of money involved was not disclosed during the brief court hearing.

He is accused of committing the same offence on 20 other occasions involving other individuals on unknown dates between 2019 and 2022.

None of the monetary amounts involved were disclosed during the hearing.

Carey is also accused of two counts of using “a false instrument with the intention of inducing another person to accept it as genuine” on unknown dates between January 1st, 2014 and September 18th, 2022 at an unknown location within the State.