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wesa.fm
· 2025-12-08
As Medicare's December 7 enrollment deadline approaches, scammers pose as Medicare officials or insurance company representatives via phone calls, texts, and emails to trick older adults into disclosing Social Security numbers and sensitive information. Medicare and most private insurers will not initiate unsolicited phone contact; instead, beneficiaries should expect written letters and can verify communications by calling official toll-free numbers directly. Older adults and caregivers should avoid providing personal information to unexpected callers, be wary of robocalls, start enrollment early to reduce deadline pressure, and consult reputable sources like Medicare.gov or state health insurance assistance programs.
local.aarp.org
· 2025-12-08
Family caregivers play a crucial role in protecting older adults from fraud, as seniors lose billions annually to scams including tech support, lottery, grandparent, investment, imposter, and romance schemes. AARP recommends caregivers maintain open communication with loved ones, educate them about common fraud tactics, establish protective financial measures, and monitor for signs of social isolation that increase scam vulnerability. Resources and guidance are available at www.aarp.org/fraud to help families prevent and respond to fraud targeting older adults.
mcknightsseniorliving.com
· 2025-12-08
From July 2023 to June 2024, the Department of Justice pursued over 300 enforcement actions against 700+ defendants who stole nearly $700 million from 225,000 elder fraud victims, while recovering $31 million and providing services to 230,000+ older adults. Investment scams caused the highest losses at $1.2 billion, followed by tech support scams ($590 million), business email compromise ($382 million), romance scams ($357 million), and government impersonation scams ($180 million), with the DOJ's National Elder Fraud Hotline receiving over 50,000 calls in the past year.
insidebitcoins.com
· 2025-12-08
Shizuku Ida, a 27-year-old woman, defrauded approximately 100 men of roughly 100 million yen ($656,000) through an elaborate romance scam conducted on social media and dating apps. Using the alias "Yuu," Ida posed as a hostess and fabricated emotionally compelling stories—including claims of lost money, unpaid debts, and suicidal ideation—to manipulate victims into sending money, which she spent on internet casinos and entertainment. She was arrested after defrauding a Yamagata man of 346,000 yen in October, with experts noting that the lack of face-to-
foxnews.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, cyberscammers stole $477 million from veterans, military personnel, and their spouses—a $63 million increase from 2022—affecting 30,948 military members, according to FTC data. Common scams targeting this population include romance scams (the most prevalent, costing over $40 million in 2020), veterans' benefit scams offering fraudulent benefit increases, phishing emails impersonating government agencies or the IRS, and rental property scams. The article provides details on these five major scam types and advises military members to be cautious of unsolicited offers and suspicious communications requesting personal information or upfront
wrtv.com
· 2025-12-08
An 82-year-old Florida woman lost over $40,000 in a lottery scam where a caller claiming to represent Mega Millions told her she had won $8 million and instructed her to send cash to an Indianapolis address to cover taxes. The scammer used fake check deposits and promises of prize money to convince the victim to wire multiple shipments of cash via UPS, though authorities have not recovered the funds or identified the actual perpetrator. This case exemplifies the rising tide of elder fraud, with the FBI reporting $3.4 billion in losses to people age 60 and older in 2023—an 11 percent increase from the previous year.
cnet.com
· 2025-12-08
Gift card fraud resulted in $54.4 million in losses during Q3 2024, with 11,743 incidents reported to the FTC, making vigilance especially important during the holiday shopping season. Common scams include thieves draining stolen or tampered physical cards before recipients use them, impersonating friends or family members via text or voice cloning to request emergency gift cards, purchasing fraudulent cards on resale sites, and fake prize schemes requiring gift cards as payment. To protect themselves, consumers should inspect physical cards for tampering, verify requests through direct contact, avoid discounted cards on auction sites, and remember that legitimate prizes never require advance payment.
jocoreport.com
· 2025-12-08
An elderly Benson man was defrauded by scammers impersonating Geek Squad over a two-year period (2022-2024), losing a total of $40,000. The scam began when the victim responded to a fake text claiming he owed $400 for prior repairs; once he paid, the scammers repeatedly contacted him with fraudulent bills for various services, which he paid believing them to be legitimate. The fraud was discovered by a family member who reported it to law enforcement.
au.finance.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Meta received a Shonky Award for failing to protect Australians from scams, as social media fraud losses reached $95 million in 2024, with a Queensland retiree losing $110,000 in a fake celebrity investment scam that remained on Facebook for six to eight weeks. Scams on Meta platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) account for 76% of all reported social media scam losses, and CHOICE found that Meta's response times to reported fraudulent ads were inconsistent, with some remaining live for at least four days. The Australian government has introduced legislation imposing fines up to $50 million on social media platforms and other companies that
khou.com
· 2025-12-08
A Houston couple fell victim to a parking lot scam when an imposter wearing a vest and light posed as a parking attendant and charged them $20 to park near Post Houston. The scam, which is becoming increasingly common in downtown Houston parking lots, also involves fraudsters using fake QR codes to trick visitors unfamiliar with the legitimate payment methods (meters or official apps). City officials acknowledge the problem persists because scammers continue to target the area's high-traffic parking lots and are working with police for better enforcement.
wsbradio.com
· 2025-12-08
A 78-year-old man in Peachtree City, Georgia lost approximately $500,000 to fraud after spending $32,900 on gift cards in three weeks, obtaining a $150,000 home equity line of credit, and sending wire transfers to scammers. The Peachtree City Police Department is investigating the case and highlights common elder fraud schemes including romance, tech support, grandparent, government impersonation, sweepstakes, home repair, and family caregiver scams. Protective measures include establishing family passwords, resisting pressure to act quickly, avoiding unsolicited contact, and never sharing personal information or funds with unverified sources.
foxnews.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational article explains the rising threat of phishing scams that impersonate legitimate help desk and support teams, often creating false urgency (such as claiming account expiration) to trick victims into clicking malicious links or revealing personal information. The article provides guidance on identifying phishing emails by checking sender domain addresses for inconsistencies, and recommends protective steps including avoiding clicks on links or attachments, not engaging with scammers, reporting suspicious emails, and using antivirus software to detect threats.
anz.com.au
· 2025-12-08
Investment and online shopping scams caused Australian losses of $3.4 million and $125 million respectively from January to September 2024, with fraudsters using professionally-designed websites and promises of quick returns or unbeatable deals to lure victims. One customer nearly lost $50,000 to an unregistered broker operating a crypto scam before intervention. Protection strategies include verifying website legitimacy, checking broker registration with ASIC, avoiding rushed decisions, using secure payment methods, and monitoring accounts regularly.
patch.com
· 2025-12-08
The San Diego Seniors Community Foundation and FBI San Diego Citizens Academy are hosting free Elder Fraud Prevention seminars on November 13 and 19 in honor of International Fraud Week, designed to educate seniors and families about recognizing and avoiding scams. The seminars come as elder fraud losses continue to rise, with Americans over 60 reporting $3.4 billion in losses in 2023 (an 11% increase from 2022), with tech support fraud and investment scams being the most prevalent schemes targeting seniors.
gizmodo.com
· 2025-12-08
O2, the UK's largest mobile network operator, deployed an AI voice chatbot called "Daisy" that mimics an elderly person to waste phone scammers' time and divert them from real targets. The chatbot engages scammers in lengthy conversations (40+ minutes) using social engineering tactics and provides fake information when asked for personal details, preventing actual fraud. While this "scambaiting" approach helps protect vulnerable elderly people who are commonly targeted with tax and arrest-related scams, concerns remain that similar voice-cloning technology could be misused for grandparent scams and other elder fraud schemes.
communityimpact.com
· 2025-12-08
The Elder Financial Safety Center (EFSC), formed in 2014 by Dallas County Probate Courts, the District Attorney's Office, and The Senior Source nonprofit, addresses financial exploitation of seniors through prevention, protection, and prosecution. The article details prevalent scams targeting seniors aged 50+, including romance scams, government impersonation, tech support fraud, and grandparent scams, and recommends protective measures such as not answering unknown calls and avoiding clicking on unsolicited texts and links. Services are free to eligible seniors in Dallas and surrounding counties, with one case cited involving a victim who lost $545,000 after being groomed through a fake Geek Squad text message scam
thehackernews.com
· 2025-12-08
Google has identified sophisticated scam techniques including landing page cloaking, where fraudsters impersonate legitimate websites and use AI-generated deepfakes to conduct investment fraud and credential theft schemes. The report highlights emerging tactics such as scareware redirects, app clones, and cryptocurrency scams originating from organized crime syndicates in Southeast Asia, with Google blocking over 5.5 billion policy-violating ads in 2023 and launching new scam detection features in its Android Phone app to protect users.
blog.google
· 2025-12-08
This policy white paper from Google addresses the rising threat of online scams, which affected over 21 million Americans last year and 78% of mobile users. Google recommends that governments, tech companies, and financial institutions strengthen collaboration through information sharing, cross-border cooperation, and international initiatives like the Global Anti-Scams Alliance to combat increasingly sophisticated transnational fraud networks. The recommendations also call for legal frameworks that incentivize companies to invest in AI-powered scam detection and prevention tools while protecting them from liability for good-faith protective actions.
blog.google
· 2025-12-08
Google's Trust & Safety team is launching a regular advisory to track and combat increasingly sophisticated online fraud schemes, which are often orchestrated by transnational crime organizations using combined online and offline tactics. The advisory highlights five current scam trends: deepfake-enabled public figure impersonation campaigns promoting fraudulent investments and apps, crypto investment schemes promising unrealistic returns, app and landing page cloning that deceives users into sharing personal information or downloading malware, tech support scams using fake customer service pages, and credential theft through spoofed employee login portals. Google is implementing countermeasures including updated policies against impersonation in ads, enforcement against crypto fraud, and tools like SynthID to identify AI-
forbes.com
· 2025-12-08
Virgin Media O2 launched "Daisy," an AI-powered chatbot designed to impersonate an elderly woman and engage scammers in lengthy, unproductive conversations to waste their time and resources. Developed with scambaiter Jim Browning, Daisy uses voice recognition and custom language models to keep fraudsters on the phone with meandering discussions about knitting and cats while refusing to provide the personal or financial information they seek. The company reports Daisy has already wasted hundreds of hours of scammers' time, potentially preventing them from targeting real vulnerable individuals.
news.trendmicro.com
· 2025-12-08
This week saw a surge in phishing and smishing scams targeting personal and financial data, including fake Xbox console purchase offers using the phishing site xblgo[.]com, fraudulent X (Twitter) login alerts directing users to fake login pages, and 1,127 fake Lowe's text messages with bogus order updates and delivery notifications. All three scam types aim to steal credentials, account access, or financial information by tricking users into clicking malicious links or entering personal details on fake websites. Protection strategies include verifying sender information, avoiding clicking unknown links, and checking legitimacy directly through official websites and apps rather than through provided links.
wwd.com
· 2025-12-08
McAfee's consumer survey found that approximately one-third of Americans fell victim to online scams during the holiday season, with 60 percent of victims losing money and 10 percent losing over $1,000. AI-powered tools are enabling scammers to create increasingly realistic fake emails, texts, social media messages, and deepfakes that impersonate trusted brands and celebrities, with 88 percent of consumers reporting that AI is making holiday scams more sophisticated and difficult to distinguish from legitimate communications.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
· 2025-12-08
Google's Trust & Safety teams identified five prevalent online scam trends: AI-powered deepfake impersonations of public figures promoting fake investments, cryptocurrency investment scams promising unrealistic returns, cloned apps and landing pages mimicking legitimate brands to steal personal information, cloaking techniques that hide malicious content from detection systems, and exploitation of major events like natural disasters and elections to launch timely frauds. The company advises users to scrutinize unnatural facial expressions in videos, verify investment claims, check for misspellings and unusual formatting on websites, confirm URLs match official sites, and use only established platforms for donations and purchases.
abc7chicago.com
· 2025-12-08
Scammers are creating fake login pages impersonating major brands like Microsoft, Google, Meta, USPS, and Netflix to steal user passwords and personal information through phishing emails, texts, and online search results. Once hackers gain access to accounts, they can steal financial data, credit card information, and other personal details stored in those accounts. To protect yourself, avoid clicking links in unsolicited messages, navigate directly to official websites, inspect URLs for suspicious characters, and use multi-layered security with strong authentication measures.
cbs12.com
· 2025-12-08
Despite government efforts to reduce robocalls, phone calls remain scammers' preferred method for targeting victims, with older adults being disproportionately targeted because "criminals go where the money is," according to AARP's Director of Fraud Victim Support. In one Florida case, an elderly man with dementia lost $10,000 after receiving a scam call with an 833-area code and withdrawing cash to mail to scammers in New Jersey—though this victim was fortunate when law enforcement recovered the money before delivery, a rare outcome. Experts recommend not answering calls from unknown numbers, silencing unknown callers on smartphones, and blocking suspicious area codes commonly used by scamm
clickondetroit.com
· 2025-12-08
Monroe County authorities are warning residents about a rising wave of cryptocurrency scams delivered via email, text, and phone calls that impersonate government agencies, lottery services, tech support, and romance schemes to trick victims into sending money or personal information. Michiganders lost nearly $80 million to cryptocurrency scams in 2023, with one Northville Township resident defrauded of approximately $300,000. Authorities emphasize that legitimate government agencies never demand payment in cryptocurrency or gift cards and always offer cash payment options in person.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
· 2025-12-08
**Phone Scams: AI-Powered Defense**
UK telecom company O2 launched "Daisy," an AI-powered scambaiter designed to impersonate an elderly grandmother and waste scammers' time by engaging them in lengthy, meaningless conversations about fictional activities. Developed in collaboration with experienced scambaiters, Daisy has successfully kept fraudsters occupied for up to 40 minutes while providing fake information, disrupting their operations and preventing them from targeting real victims. The initiative is part of O2's broader "Swerve the Scammers" campaign, which aims to educate the public about scam tactics and encourage reporting of suspicious
digit.in
· 2025-12-08
A 65-year-old man from Ulloor lost Rs 15 lakh after being contacted on WhatsApp by scammers posing as representatives of T-6 Geojit Securities, who promised guaranteed trading profits and lured him into a fraudulent WhatsApp group that shared fake market updates. The victim transferred funds in multiple transactions between October 14-22, 2024, to bank accounts in UCO Bank and Bank of Maharashtra, after which the fraudsters stopped communicating and disappeared with the money. The article emphasizes reporting such crimes within the first hour ("golden hour") to improve recovery chances, and recommends verifying platform authenticity, avoiding money transfers to unknown accounts, being skept
cbsnews.com
· 2025-12-08
A California man lost $20,000 to a tech support scam after receiving a pop-up warning that his account was compromised and being instructed to withdraw cash and mail it to a New York City address. NYPD Detective Justin Guzman intervened quickly upon the victim's report, intercepting the package at a Bayside, Queens apartment before the scammers retrieved it and successfully returning the funds. The case illustrates how scammers evolve tactics—when gift card fraud failed, they pivoted to requesting actual cash—and highlights the importance of police responsiveness in combating these schemes.
newsbreak.com
· 2025-12-08
The Rocklin Police Department warned of increasing financial scams targeting seniors that use computers and phones to deceive victims. The department advised seniors to avoid responding to urgent emails, pop-ups, or phone calls requesting immediate action; never provide login credentials via email; enable two-factor authentication; and recognize red flags such as requests to withdraw money, lie about transactions, or pay via gift cards or cryptocurrency.
thetimes.com
· 2025-12-08
A woman in her sixties from England lost nearly £20,000 to an AI-generated romance scammer posing as a US Army colonel named "Mike Murdy" on Tinder. The scammer used deepfake videos and personalized messages to build trust before claiming a life insurance briefcase worth £607,000 needed processing fees, extracting multiple payments from the victim under false pretenses. The US Embassy has issued warnings about fraudsters impersonating US soldiers using this high-tech romance scam method.
mashable.com
· 2025-12-08
UK telecom provider Virgin Media O2 developed "Daisy," an AI bot designed to impersonate an elderly woman and keep phone scammers on the line for extended periods, with the system successfully detaining fraudsters for up to 40 minutes per call. The bot, created in collaboration with YouTuber Jim Browning, uses conversational AI to generate rambling responses about family and hobbies while providing false personal information, reducing scammers' time targeting actual victims. This approach addresses a significant problem: elderly individuals are disproportionately targeted by phone scams, with people over 60 accounting for 58 percent of impersonation scam losses in the U.S. (
techcrunch.com
· 2025-12-08
O2, the UK's largest mobile network operator, launched "dAIsy," an AI chatbot designed to waste scammers' time by mimicking an elderly woman who engages them in prolonged conversations about personal topics while refusing to provide bank details. The technology, developed with scambait expert Jim Browning, uses voice transcription and text-to-speech AI to respond naturally, addressing the growing threat of phone scams targeting seniors—a population that lost $3.4 billion to telephone fraud in 2023 alone.
kmyu.tv
· 2025-12-08
**Summary:**
Experts warn that artificial intelligence is enabling a new wave of sophisticated cyber scams that are increasingly difficult to detect, with scammers now able to create convincing fraudulent emails, texts, and even voice recordings mimicking legitimate sources or loved ones. Utah residents are particularly vulnerable, with cybercrime losses in the state nearly quadrupling over the past five years and victims losing significantly more money than the national average. While some suggest AI-based security solutions could help combat the threat, cybersecurity experts emphasize that individual vigilance remains essential, as scammers' fundamental goals—extracting money or manipulating people—remain unchanged regardless of the technology used.
popsci.com
· 2025-12-08
US consumers lost a record $10 billion to fraud in the past year (a 14% increase), with scammers increasingly targeting older adults via phone—over two-thirds of UK residents over 75 surveyed reported experiencing at least one fraud attempt in six months. In response, UK mobile operator Virgin Media O2 created "Daisy," an AI-powered grandmother chatbot that wastes scammers' time by providing false information and engaging in lengthy, meandering conversations, with some interactions lasting over 40 minutes. While Daisy aims to reduce real victim targeting, scammers are simultaneously deploying AI voice-cloning technology to perpetrate new frauds including imp
indiacsr.in
· 2025-12-08
Over 21 million individuals in the United States fell victim to fraud in the past year, with 78% of mobile users encountering at least one scam, demonstrating the scale of online fraud perpetrated by transnational organized crime networks. Google has released a white paper recommending coordinated action across governments, industries, and technology providers, including enabling international cooperation and information sharing, incentivizing scam-fighting efforts through legal protections, and investing in public education and AI-driven detection technologies. Google's own efforts include blocking 99.9% of spam and malware on Gmail, removing over 5.5 billion policy-violating advertisements in 2023, and establishing collaborative intelligence-sharing
insidegovernment.co.nz
· 2025-12-08
The New Zealand government launched a new coordinated initiative to combat online scams during Fraud Awareness Week, following data showing that New Zealanders lost nearly $200 million to scammers in the past year (with actual losses likely much higher given underreporting). Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly was appointed lead minister to coordinate efforts across government agencies and industry partners, addressing the fragmented response to scams that largely originate offshore. The plan focuses on improving information sharing between government sectors, developing industry-led solutions within and across sectors like banking and telecommunications, and establishing a coordinated regional approach with Australia and Singapore.
benzinga.com
· 2025-12-08
A University of Michigan study found that seniors experiencing undiagnosed memory decline lost an average of $31,000 over two years due to poor investment decisions and susceptibility to scams, while those aware of their cognitive decline limited losses to about $5,400 by delegating financial decisions to trusted advisors. Over 60% of Americans age 50 and older experienced some memory decline, but only 20% of those with significant loss were aware of it, making them vulnerable to risky financial choices and fraud schemes that cost older adults more than $36 billion annually. The article advises seniors to seek professional help if experiencing memory issues, involve trusted family members or financial advisors in financial decisions, an
fallriverreporter.com
· 2025-12-08
A 30-year-old New York man, Xuejian Wu, was arrested after defrauding a North Reading, Massachusetts elderly resident of more than $10,000 through a sophisticated online scam involving remote computer access, threats, and Bitcoin transactions. Wu was apprehended when he appeared at the victim's home impersonating a federal agent to attempt collecting additional funds, and he was charged with multiple counts of larceny and conspiracy. The case highlights the targeting of seniors through technology-based fraud and the importance of reporting suspected scams to law enforcement promptly.
forbes.com
· 2025-12-08
Google's Vice President of Trust & Safety highlighted five emerging scam trends in November 2024, warning that fraudulent cyber attacks are increasing in volume and becoming more sophisticated through the use of AI and landing page cloaking techniques. The advisory addressed crypto investment schemes, app cloning, major event exploitation, AI-powered impersonation campaigns that create deepfakes and fake giveaways, and cloaking tactics that deceive both moderation systems and users by presenting different content to Google than what users see. Google recommends users watch for unnatural expressions in content, verify URLs before clicking, and report suspicious promotions from public figures.
zeenews.india.com
· 2025-12-08
Google identified five major online scams gaining traction: fake AI-generated celebrity IDs promoting fraudulent investments, cryptocurrency schemes promising unrealistic returns often with fake celebrity backing, cloned apps and websites targeting personal information, fake tech support and employee login portals, and event-based scams exploiting major events to promote counterfeit products or fake charities. To protect themselves, users should verify sources before engaging with offers, keep devices updated with security patches, and enable Safe Browsing features to block suspicious sites.
pymnts.com
· 2025-12-08
Greg Hancell, a fraud expert at Lynx Tech, warns that QR code scams are rapidly growing and now account for over 20% of online scams, making them harder to identify than traditional phishing because victims cannot see the destination link before scanning. Fraudsters typically replace legitimate QR codes with counterfeit ones in public spaces like parking lots and restaurants to trick people into sharing sensitive data and payment information. To protect themselves, consumers should look for physical tampering signs (like stickers or damage), verify QR code sources, check URLs before proceeding, and use verification tools, while banks can provide financial protection through AI-powered fraud detection systems.
techradar.com
· 2025-12-08
Google has identified "cloaking" and AI-enhanced scams as the most damaging threats to users. Cloaking uses tools to show different content to search engines versus real users, often redirecting victims to fake customer support sites mimicking legitimate businesses to steal sensitive information. Scammers are also leveraging AI to rapidly exploit major events (elections, disasters, sports) and create fake charity appeals designed to overwhelm users into clicking malicious links.
the-sun.com
· 2025-12-08
A cybersecurity expert warns against scam-baiting and revenge pranks targeting fraudsters, cautioning that engaging with scammers can provoke retaliation including threats, identity theft, or cyberattacks, and increases exposure to malware and phishing attempts. Instead of interaction, victims are advised to ignore scammers entirely and report suspicious tactics to authorities. The article also provides guidance on identifying scam emails and protecting oneself from fraud.
echo-pilot.com
· 2025-12-08
Black Friday scams are expected to proliferate, with five main types to watch for: counterfeit products from third-party sellers, fake delivery failure notifications that lead to phishing sites, impersonation of customer service representatives seeking personal information, false winning notifications, and email/text phishing schemes. Consumers should avoid unusually low prices from unknown sellers, only click delivery links from official retailers, never provide personal details to unsolicited contacts claiming to be from companies like Amazon, and remain skeptical of prize claims requiring upfront payments.
mirror.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
A woman in her sixties from England lost nearly £20,000 to an AI-generated romance scammer posing as a US Army colonel named "Mike Murdy" on Tinder. The scammer used deepfake videos, images, and AI-synthesized voice and text to build a convincing romantic relationship, eventually convincing the victim to pay money under the pretense of unlocking a briefcase containing £607,000 in cash and accessing a life insurance payout. Financial authorities have issued warnings about this emerging AI-powered romance scam trend targeting vulnerable individuals seeking romantic connections.
firstpost.com
· 2025-12-08
Virgin Media O2 developed Daisy, an AI chatbot designed to mimic an elderly British woman and engage scammers in lengthy conversations to waste their time and prevent them from targeting real victims. Created with input from YouTube scambaiter Jim Browning, Daisy can autonomously hold scammers on the phone for up to 40 minutes by engaging them with fictional stories about family and hobbies, and has already wasted hundreds of hours of scammers' time while collecting data for law enforcement.
everythingzoomer.com
· 2025-12-08
Fraud is now the leading crime against seniors in Canada, with scammers increasingly using advanced technology like voice simulation, AI, and fake profiles to perpetrate sophisticated schemes. Common scams targeting seniors include grandparent fraud (2,494 Canadian victims lost $9.4 million), romance scams (Canadians lost $59 million in 2022), and phishing attacks (approximately $58 million in losses in 2022). Seniors are particularly vulnerable due to social isolation, limited digital literacy (only 26% feel very confident with technology despite 67% using the internet), and accessible savings, making protection strategies essential as emotional manipulation often overrides caution.
thesun.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
A woman named Mary lost £10,000 to a romance scam involving a fake AI-generated US Army Colonel named "Mike Murdy" on Tinder who used deepfake videos and sent physical gifts to build trust. The scammer claimed to have a £607,000 life insurance payout and convinced Mary to pay £10,000 for an access code to unlock a briefcase allegedly containing the funds, but she received only blank papers. The case illustrates how modern scams use AI-generated images and videos to impersonate romantic interests and exploit victims who are often reluctant to report due to shame.
pandasecurity.com
· 2025-12-08
Hong Kong police arrested nearly 30 members of a criminal organization that used AI-generated deepfake profiles of attractive women to defraud approximately 400 middle-aged men across Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and India in a romance scam totaling $46 million. Victims were lured into fake romantic relationships, manipulated into investing in fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms, and unable to withdraw their funds. The article advises victims to watch for red flags such as investment solicitation from new online contacts and signs of manipulated media including unnatural body postures, flat-toned audio, and mismatched facial features.