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| Police display cash and other items seized from deepfake syndicate (Sing Tao photo) |
Police today announced the arrest of 31 people believed to be behind a syndicate using deepfake technology to lure victims into romance and investment scams.
The suspects, aged between 20 and 34, allegedly duped victims located mostly outside Hong Kong, such as Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and the United States, of more than $34 million.
Most of those arrested said
they were jobless, while some were university students. Some reports said among
those arrested was a football player from the Hong Kong Premier League.
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The arrests were made in two
neighboring industrial victims in Kowloon Bay kast week.
Police said the syndicate
made use of deepfake technology to woo victims online. They also made use of
other new technologies such as AI face swapping, to look good so they can
easily gain the trust and affection of the victims.
Once the victim is hooked, he
or she is persuaded to send money to a fake investment platform, police said. The
proceeds from the swindle is then laundered using bank accounts owned by various
people.
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| PINDUTIN DITO |
The group is alleged to have provided training
and scripts for its members to help them project an image of wealth and
investment savvy.
During the raids, officers said
so $10 million worth of cash, gold bars, expensive handbags and luxury watches were seized
as suspected criminal gains.
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Police said five of those arrested have
been charged with conspiracy to defraud as they are suspected core syndicate
members. They will appear at Eastern Court tomorrow.
