Hong Kong Police Crack Down on Deepfake Romance Scam, Arrest 31

In a major crackdown, the Hong Kong Police Force Commercial Crime Bureau has arrested 31 individuals involved in online romance and investment scams using deepfake technologies, which targeted victims in Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan, China, resulting in losses exceeding HK$34 million.

The Commercial Crime Bureau's operation focused on a local syndicate that recruited young people as scammers and created deepfake profiles on online dating sites using images of women found on the internet. The syndicate had been operating in Hong Kong for about three months, but it is believed to have functioned overseas for more than a year.

Operating out of two centers in Kowloon Bay, the syndicate approached as many victims as possible by running shifts and recruiting young people with promises of quick cash. These recruits were trained to impersonate others on online dating sites, using deepfake technology to create false profiles and engage in live chats to gain victims' trust.

Scammers would boast about their luxurious lifestyles and lure victims with promises of quick money through cryptocurrency investments. Once a relationship was established, victims were instructed to transfer cryptocurrencies to fake overseas crypto platforms before the scammers vanished. The syndicate split 40 to 50% of the proceeds with overseas criminal groups and converted their gains into cash using local over-the-counter crypto brokerages for the youngsters.

The Hong Kong Police Force has charged five individuals, including the head of the syndicate and the head of the Kowloon Bay centers, for conspiring to defraud and money laundering. The rest of those arrested had been released on bail pending further investigation.

The police urged residents to remain vigilant against online messages promising high returns in cryptocurrency investments and to be wary of job ads claiming to offer large incomes with no requirements.