A Chinese man from Shanghai has lost hundreds of thousands of crowns in overdrafts he sent to his online girlfriend to set up a business and medical expenses. But it was an imaginary character created by artificial intelligence (AI), AFP reported, citing local media.
Romance Scam
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the scammers used generative AI software to create realistic videos and photos of a fictional young woman named Jiao. They also created fake medical records and identity cards for her to make their character look believable.
The men convinced their victim, referred to as Liu, that Jiao needed money to set up her own business and pay for her relative’s treatment. Liu, who had never met Jiao in person, therefore sent 200,000 yuan (over 653,000 CZK) to her bank account, but the account belonged to the criminals.
Deepfake Fraud
“The operation was carried out by a team of fraudsters who sent videos and photos created by artificial intelligence or by combining several images,” CCTV reported, citing police investigators.
The advent of artificial intelligence tools that are capable of creating convincing images, videos and text is paving the way for increasingly sophisticated scams around the world. The US tech giant Meta, which includes Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, therefore urged its users in early February to be wary of their online contacts.
Source: Czech Press Office
