Deep fake technology is becoming increasingly mature, and related scams are emerging one after another. A few months ago, law enforcement agencies, through intelligence and investigation analysis, discovered that members of a fraud group were suspected of using false character settings and deep fake technology on social platforms to lure overseas victims to invest in virtual currencies. It is believed that the fraud amount exceeded HK$34 million. The police launched an anti-fraud operation codenamed "Dark Curtain" from January 2 to January 3, 2025, mobilizing more than a hundred personnel to focus on cracking down on fraud groups that use "deep fake" technology to commit crimes. During the operation, the police arrested 31 people (aged 20 to 34 years old) on charges of "conspiracy to defraud" and "money laundering".
Most of the suspects reported being unemployed, with education levels ranging from secondary school to junior college. There were also transport workers, salespersons, beauticians, fitness coaches and tutors, including a Hong Kong Super League football player who was responsible for the frontline role of online dating. Five of the 31 suspects have been prosecuted. They are the mastermind of the group, the person in charge of the fraud center and three key members. The case will be brought up in the Eastern District Magistrates' Court tomorrow (6th). The remaining arrested persons have been released on bail pending investigation and must report to law enforcement agencies in mid-March 2025.
The fraud group involved in the case rented two units in two industrial buildings in Kowloon Bay and opened two fraud centers in October 2024. The two centers were about 300 meters apart and operated day and night at two o'clock, with the purpose of luring more victims. The investigation believes that the fraud center has been operating for 2 to 3 months, but it has been operating in other places for more than a year in the past. It is estimated that the fraud group targets overseas people. Police officers will cooperate with Interpol and overseas agencies to contact overseas victims as soon as possible.
Members of the syndicate disguised the two fraud centers as office buildings and open space studios in an attempt to deceive others. Fraud syndicates use different channels to recruit young people to join the fraud gang, and arrange for them to meet overseas victims through online dating platforms to induce them to invest in virtual currencies. The fraud group will train members to use fake personas and scripts to open accounts on dating platforms, meet people overseas, including Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, and develop into online lovers. The fraud group uses artificial intelligence (AI) deep forgery technology to change faces. (Deepfake) creates virtual photos and videos, meets the victim as a woman, and even develops into an online lover. The character setting of the social platform account has a good appearance, claiming to have made considerable income from investing in virtual currencies, such as a 50% return in six months, and showing a luxurious life on the account, including owning luxury cars, watches, handbags, and drinks. Red wine, traveling around the world, attending dinners with people in the virtual currency circle, etc.
After the victim establishes trust with the virtual lover, he often believes it and is persuaded to transfer the virtual currency to an overseas investment virtual platform, or even be persuaded to borrow money to purchase virtual currency. In fact, overseas investment virtual platforms are controlled by overseas fraud groups. The deposited virtual currencies are quickly transferred away and the victims are cut off.
The investigation found that the income of the fraud group involved in the case was split between 40% and 50% of the proceeds of crime collected from overseas fraud groups, and the proceeds of crime were also collected in virtual currency. The mastermind of the fraud group receives part of the proceeds and converts them into cash to purchase valuable items. Some of the proceeds are stored in the wallets of himself and his relatives and friends, or even rented safes, and are also distributed in cash to frontline members of the group.
Of the two fraud centers involved, one is about a thousand square feet in size and has four rooms. The police seized 91 mobile phones, 7 computers, handwritten notebooks, and 600,000 Hong Kong dollars. The police seized one of the notebooks and found that the character profile of the social platform account was written, including playing golf and tasting red wine on a daily basis, building a good image, and claiming to be investing in virtual currencies to make profits, thus achieving a semi-retired life. The police found teaching materials in the computer involved in the case, teaching new members how to initially contact the victim's conversation content to understand the other person's occupation, education level and investment goals, so as to start investment-related topics. The scammer will also formulate a progress guide for communication with the victim, hoping to achieve the goal by the fifth communication after understanding the victim step by step. The police found a large number of photos and videos of virtual women using deepfake face-changing technology on the mastermind's computer, which they believe were used in the videos.
During the operation, officers seized a total of 11 computers, 116 mobile phones and documents at the fraud center and the residences of key members. They also seized more than HK$6.8 million in cash, 2 kilograms of gold bars, a luxury car and jewelry, with a total value of approximately HK$10 million. proceeds of crime.
Original URL:on.cc
