Deepfake romance scam raked in $46 million from men across Asia, police say [View all]

Hong Kong
CNN
—
She appeared to be a beautiful woman and in the minds of men across Asia, the video calls they spoke on confirmed their newfound love was real.

But Hong Kong police say the men had fallen prey to a romance scam that used deepfake artificial intelligence to lure its victims into parting with more than $46 million.

In a news conference Monday, police in the Asian financial hub announced the arrests of more than two dozen members of the alleged scam ring, which they say targeted men from Taiwan to Singapore and as far away as India.

Police said the 21 men and six women were held on charges including conspiracy to defraud following a raid on the gang’s alleged operating center at a 4,000-square-foot industrial unit in the city’s Hung Hom district.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/15/asia/hong-kong-deepfake-romance-scam-intl-hnk/index.html

I don't care how pretty she is. It doesn't make sense to give money to complete strangers.