“Following initial contact with victims on social media platforms, they first sent artificially generated photos using AI technology to create attractive individuals in terms of appearance, personality, occupation, education and other aspects,” said Fang Chi-kin, the head of the New Territories South regional crime unit.
According to the unit’s superintendent, Iu Wing-kan, deepfake technology was then used when victims requested video calls.
“This technology transformed the scammers' appearances and voices into highly attractive females in terms of looks, attire and speech, making the victims trust them unquestioningly,” SCMP quoted him as saying.
Scammers are also using deepfakes of corporate executives to phish employees on video calls to execute fraudulent transactions.