Hong Kong Deepfake Scam Group Caught Pretending to Be Rich Single Women

Hong Kong police have intercepted over HK$34 million (US$3.37 million) in scam proceeds as part of an elaborate operation targeting victims through the use of artificial intelligence.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post on Saturday, the investigation also shed light on some of the novel strategies employed by local romance scam operators. 

Some revolved around pretending to be wealthy single women, with conversational prompts including learning Japanese, playing golf, and tasting red wine worth more than HK$100,000 ($12,850) a bottle, per the report.

Strategies such as those were recorded in notebooks seized by local law enforcement when officers arrested 31 people. 

The arrests were part of a concerted action against a crime syndicate that used AI to generate credible images of attractive women to lure victims into romance and investment scams.

Byron Boston, a former Dallas police officer and CEO of Crypto Track, told Decrypt that “the integration of deepfake technology and social engineering scams presents significant challenges for cryptocurrency investigators and law enforcement.” 

He explained that AI-generated images make criminals more convincing and allow them to carry out more elaborate and sophisticated scams.

“For example, in November 2022, a deepfake video mimicking FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was used in a phishing scheme to target FTX users to attempt to drain their crypto assets,” Boston highlighted. 

He also said social engineering scams are insidious “as they often involve prolonged efforts to build trust with victims.”

The seized notebooks also revealed that the criminal organization aimed to recruit young people looking to earn money quickly. They attempted to convince their victims they were accomplished women in Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Boston noted that “while these advanced methods pose considerable hurdles, effective collaboration, and swift action are crucial for combating these criminal activities.” 

Still, such capabilities are not yet prevalent, and “many local law enforcement agencies in the U.S. lack the necessary tools and expertise to trace stolen cryptocurrency or engage in recovery efforts with international exchanges,” Boston added.

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair