A well-known online scam tactic involves feigning romantic interest to gain victims’ trust before asking for money.
Now, scammers are leveraging new technologies to escalate their deceit. Their latest strategy involves using deepfakes or artificial intelligence to impersonate others.
According to the FBI, in the US alone, this type of confidence or romance scam resulted in over US$652 million in losses in 2023. Fox News is now raising awareness about the increasing use of deepfakes in these scams, highlighting how AI-generated deceptive videos are being used.
Specifically, the American media outlet reports on a group of cybercriminals known as the “Yahoo Boys”, primarily based in Nigeria. They earned this nickname from their use of the American tech giant’s instant messaging service to conduct their operations.
These “Yahoo Boys” manipulate their appearance during video calls to impersonate others and gain their victims’ trust. This modern catfishing tactic is enhanced with AI, making their deception even more convincing than the traditional use of photos and text messages.
Once trust is established, the scammers persuade their victims to transfer money under various pretexts. The use of deepfakes is significantly more effective in misleading victims compared to mere photos and text.
To execute this scam, the fraudster typically uses two smartphones, or a smartphone and a laptop. One device is used for the video call, while the other runs the software generating the fake face and voice. The results are particularly convincing.
In light of these scams, internet users need to remain vigilant and exercise common sense. For instance, never send money to someone you don’t know. Always adjust your privacy settings on social networks to restrict access to your personal information and use secure communication channels.
