A Chinese fraudster has pulled off an alarming feat of technological deception, employing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to scam a wealthy businessman out of millions of yuan.
The victim, known as Mr. Guo, became ensnared in an intricate scheme that revolved around the use of AI-generated impersonation, as confirmed by authorities.
How Scammer Used AI to Swindle Huge Sums
The Straits Times reports that the scam unfolded in April when Mr. Guo received an unsuspecting video call from an individual bearing a striking resemblance to one of his closest friends, both in appearance and voice.
Little did he know that the person on the other end of the line was a sly con artist leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to alter their facial features and vocal characteristics. These details emerged from a report published by a government-affiliated media portal in the southern city of Fuzhou.
The imposter quickly assumed the guise of Mr. Guo's trusted confidant and orchestrated an elaborate scam. Employing various manipulative tactics, the fraudster convinced Mr. Guo to transfer an astonishing sum of 4.3 million yuan (equivalent to approximately $823,000).
The fraudster concocted a compelling narrative, claiming that an acquaintance urgently required the funds to be withdrawn from a corporate bank account to secure a guarantee related to a public tender.
To facilitate the deception, the scammer cunningly extracted Mr. Guo's personal bank account details. Subsequently, they presented a falsified payment record, cunningly indicating that an equal amount had been wired to Mr. Guo's account.
Placing unwavering trust in the authenticity of the transaction, Mr. Guo, without verifying the actual receipt of the funds, obediently transferred two payments from his company's account, totaling the requested amount.
Only after reaching out to his friend, who had absolutely no knowledge of the transaction, Mr. Guo realized the gravity of his mistake. "I verified the face and voice of the person video-calling me, so I let down my guard," Mr. Guo ruefully lamented.
AI-Related Voice Scam On-the-Rise
Fortunately, Mr. Guo wasted no time and swiftly contacted the police, who sprang into action by promptly notifying a bank situated in a different city.
As a result of their intervention, a significant portion of the ill-gotten funds, amounting to 3.4 million yuan, was successfully recovered.
The article did not disclose the identities of the perpetrators behind this sophisticated scheme but mentioned that efforts to recoup the remaining funds were underway.
This is not the first time this modus operandi has been made public; weeks ago, we reported that a McAfee analysis disclosed that 77% of AI voice scam victims lose money because of the same gimmick. Aside from this, many US residents have also found vocal recordings on social media, becoming open targets for scammers.
While ChatGPT remains inaccessible within China's borders, Chinese users have reportedly sought alternative means, employing virtual private networks (VPNs) to access this AI-powered chatbot.
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