A northern Chinese “deepfake” fraud that convinced a man to send money to a friend raised concerns about using artificial intelligence (AI) in financial crimes.
In January, China passed new laws to legally safeguard victims of AI-driven fraud, which mostly involves voice and face data manipulation.
The offender employed AI-powered face-swapping technology to impersonate the victim’s acquaintance in a video call and receive a transfer of 4.3 million yuan ($622,000).
On Saturday, investigators said he transmitted the money thinking his friend needed a deposit during a bidding procedure.
The police said they had recovered most of the stolen money and were searching for the rest. The man only realized he had been misled once the companion professed ignorance.
On Monday, the hashtag “#AI scams are exploding across the country” garnered over 120 million views on Weibo, sparking conversation about online privacy and security.
Scammers can utilize photographs, audio, and videos, one user noted. “Can information security rules keep up with these people’s techniques?”