The post Hong Kong police arrest 31 for using deepfakes to scam victims appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

Hong Kong police have arrested 31 individuals for using deepfakes to scam unsuspecting victims. According to reports, the individuals belonged to a syndicate carrying out their crimes across several locations in Asia. The group majored in investment and romance scams, defrauding victims across Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore. Authorities say the group has netted more than $4.3 million in criminal proceeds. According to the Commercial Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong police, the group was apprehended in a string operation between Thursday and Friday. The authorities’ statement revealed that the syndicate rented two buildings in the neighboring industrial building, making it a base where their activities were conducted. The group also positioned their offices at strategic angles, making their operations easy, according to authorities. Hong Kong police detail the criminals’ operations According to the details of the gang’s operations, the Hong Kong police said that they would look for images of good-looking women on the internet. After collating the pictures, the group would make a deepfake of the images before approaching their intended target. The victims would first be lured into keeping a worthy romantic relationship with the fake online scammers. After a while, the criminals, under the cover of the fake persona, will now introduce the victims to a sham investment scheme. This method usually works, as the scammers would have made the victims comfortable enough to part with considerable funds either by sharing fake personal information or other methods, including video calling. Police mentioned that scammers generated about HK$34 million, but the number of victims and their losses were still being reviewed. Superintendent Fung Pui-Kei mentioned that the two buildings run shifts, where members are supposed to clock in at different times of the day. The syndicate also lured youngsters, including students, by promising to furnish them with goodies…

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Filed under: News - @ January 5, 2025 10:25 am