Hong Kong police arrest 31 over deepfake romance scams targeting victims in Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong police have arrested 31 people over the alleged use of deepfake technologies to stage online romance and investment scams targeting victims in Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore, with losses exceeding HK$34 million.
The Commercial Crime Bureau said on Sunday that it had raided two premises in Kowloon Bay on Thursday and Friday. The operation targeted a local syndicate that was said to have recruited young people as scammers and produced deepfake profiles on online dating sites, using images of women found on the internet.
Acting Chief Superintendent Kung Hing-fun told a press briefing that the syndicate had been operating in the city for about three months, but it was believed to have functioned overseas for more than a year.
Kung said the syndicate would run the two Kowloon Bay centres in two shifts to approach as many victims as possible.
Speaking during the same press briefing, Superintendent Fung Pui-kei said the syndicate recruited young people locally by promising them quick cash, and that the youngsters would be trained to act as others on online dating sites.
The syndicate also used deepfake technology to create false profiles on online dating sites to approach victims, Fung said.
“These account holders usually showcase a good-looking appearance and claim that they can make quick money by investing in cryptocurrency,” Fung said in Cantonese.
The scammers would brag about their luxurious lifestyles and they engage in live chats using deepfakes to gain victims’ trust, Fung said.
Once the scammers had developed an online relationship with their victims, they would ask the victims to transfer cryptocurrencies to fake overseas crypto platforms before disappearing, Fung added.
The scams would search for users of online dating sites in Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore, according to Fung.
The syndicate split 40 to 50 per cent of the proceeds with overseas criminal groups, Fung said, adding that it used local over-the-counter crypto brokerages to convert their gains into cash for the youngsters.
Kung said the force had charged five people, including the head of the syndicate and the person in charge of the Kowloon Bay centres, for conspiring to defraud and money laundering. They were expected to appear at Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on Monday.
The rest of those arrested had been released on bail pending further investigation, Kung added.
Acting chief superintendent Kung said the force would work with the Interpol and overseas police agencies to conduct further law enforcement operations.
She also urged residents to stay alert when they saw messages online promising high returns in crypto investments, adding that only licensed crypto platforms should be used.
Youngsters should pay attention to job ads that claimed to provide large income with no requirement when seeking jobs, she added.
Last October, 27 people were arrested over using deepfakes to trick victims into cryptocurrencies scams.
Last February, a multinational firm was also swindled by scammers impersonating its senior executives using deepfake, suffering losses of some HK$200 million.
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