A man from Shanghai, known only as Liu, has reportedly lost around £22,000 after getting involved in an online romance with someone he thought was a woman named Ms. Jiao. However, according to reports from Chinese state media CCTV News, Ms. Jiao was actually a complete online creation made using artificial intelligence.
During their virtual relationship, Liu received many realistic-looking photos and videos from Ms. Jiao, all crafted or modified with AI technology. The scammers convinced him that she needed help paying for medical bills and funding a business. Believing he was helping her, he sent a total of 200,000 yuan (about £21,722) to what he thought were her bank accounts.
After looking into the matter, local authorities discovered that the fraudsters had used advanced AI tools to create convincing fake documents, including medical records and IDs, to back up their story. Importantly, Liu and Ms. Jiao never met face-to-face; their entire relationship was confined to online chats.
This incident highlights a worrying trend where online criminals use AI to create fake identities, leading to serious financial and emotional damage for their victims. In a similar case, a woman in France was tricked out of £661,508 because she believed she was in love with someone pretending to be actor Brad Pitt. The scammers used fake messages and AI-generated videos to convince her, resulting in her divorce and huge financial losses.
In another case, a British woman in her 60s lost £19,752 to someone pretending to be a U.S. Army colonel named “Mike Murdy” on a dating site. The scammer used lifelike AI-generated videos and images to gain her trust and persuaded her to send money for various reasons.
These incidents show how sophisticated AI scams are becoming in today’s digital world. Experts urge people to be careful when interacting online, especially if someone asks for money, and to double-check the identities of online friends before sending any money.
As AI technology advances, it brings both benefits and risks. While it can be useful in many areas, the potential for misuse means we need to stay alert and informed to protect ourselves from new types of online scams.
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