CoinVoice has recently learned from Phoenix News that the Hong Kong police have recently dismantled a fraud group that used deepfake technology to lure others into investing in virtual currency through social media, involving approximately 34 million Hong Kong dollars.
According to intelligence, the Hong Kong police's Commercial Crime Unit arrested 31 people aged between 20 and 34 in two industrial buildings in Kowloon Bay last week, some of whom reported themselves as students and unemployed individuals, involved in the same fraud group, and seized their pre-planned 'scripts'. The group would recruit young people who wanted to 'make quick money', training them to create accounts on dating platforms with fake personas, pretending to have good looks and a luxurious lifestyle, and meet people from overseas, including Taiwan and East Asia, chatting according to the 'script'. After understanding the background of the other party, they would cater to their preferences and develop into online lovers, even conducting video calls using deepfake technology, subsequently luring the other party to invest in virtual currency, claiming substantial returns, and requiring deposits into fake platforms. After receiving the virtual currency, the group would immediately transfer it away and cut off contact with the victims.
Hong Kong's Commercial Crime Bureau Acting Chief Superintendent Kong Hing-hun pointed out: 'They rented two fraud centers located adjacent to industrial buildings in Kowloon Bay to disperse risk and increase confidentiality. Most importantly, we noticed that these two fraud centers operated in two shifts, aiming to continuously attract more victims day and night. Do not think that participating in some tasks of a criminal group is a minor matter; even if you are only assigned to meet victims online and have no direct contact with virtual currency investment work, it is still illegal.'
The police stated that this fraud group has been operating for at least a year, with criminal profits exceeding 34 million Hong Kong dollars. Five key members, including the mastermind and central personnel, have been charged with conspiracy to defraud and money laundering, and appeared in the Eastern Magistrates' Court on Monday. [Original link]