A man in Shanghai lost nearly $28,000 after falling victim to a scam involving an AI-generated “girlfriend.” The victim, Mr. Liu, transferred almost 200,000 yuan (about $28,000) to what he believed was the bank account of his online lover. The fraudsters used generative AI to produce realistic images and videos of a fictional woman named “Ms Jiao,” convincing him that she needed funds to start a business and to help a relative with medical bills. They even created fake identification documents and medical reports to support their deception.
Read Mre: AI Regulation Faces Uncertainty as Global Powers Pursue Divergent Approaches
According to CCTV, citing a police investigation, the scam was orchestrated by a team that sent AI-generated visuals to the victim. Mr. Liu never met Ms. Jiao in person; instead, he was presented with AI-created images showing her in various scenarios, such as holding a paint palette or standing on a city street.
This incident highlights the increasing sophistication of scams that leverage AI tools to create convincing multimedia content, a trend that has raised global concerns about a surge in online fraud. Earlier this month, Meta warned users to be cautious of online relationships that request money, as scams using generative AI are becoming more common.
