Published: 12:41pm, 5 Jan 2025Updated: 4:47pm, 5 Jan 2025
Hong Kong police have arrested 31 people of a local syndicate that produced deepfake romance and investment scams to defraud victims in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, with criminal proceeds exceeding HK$34 million (US$4.37 million).
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The commercial crime bureau, which conducted the arrest operation on Thursday and Friday, said the syndicate had rented two premises in neighbouring industrial buildings in Kowloon Bay as bases of operation for their swindles, which involved approaching victims with deepfaked images of good-looking women they found online.
Superintendent Charles Fung Pui-kei said on Sunday that the two scam centres would run in two shifts as syndicate members recruited youngsters, including students, by promising them quick cash if they carried out the scams.
“New recruits would be trained to use different dating apps to fish for targets, who would usually be based in Taiwan or [Southeast] Asia, such as in Singapore and Malaysia,” Fung said.
The operation marked the second time a local syndicate using deepfake technology to defraud victims had been busted.
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The force arrested 27 last October for attempting to lure men into investing in sham cryptocurrency platforms by using deepfake technology to impersonate attractive women.