She appeared to be a beautiful woman and in the minds of men across Asia, the video calls they spoke on confirmed their newfound love was real.
But Hong Kong police say the men had fallen prey to a romance scam that used deepfake artificial intelligence to lure its victims into parting with more than US$46 million.
In a news conference Monday, police in the Asian financial hub announced the arrests of more than two dozen members of the alleged scam ring, which they say targeted men from Taiwan to Singapore and as far away as India.
Police said the 21 men and six women were held on charges including conspiracy to defraud following a raid on the gang's alleged operating center at a 4,000-square-foot industrial unit in the city's Hung Hom district.
Aged 21 to 34, the suspects were mostly well-educated, with many of them digital media and technology graduates allegedly recruited by the gang after attending local universities, police said. The suspects allegedly worked with IT specialists overseas to build a fake cryptocurrency platform, where the victims were coerced to make investments, police added.
Deepfakes are comprised of realistic fake video, audio and other content created with the help of AI. The technology is being increasingly adopted by a variety of bad actors, from people wishing to spread convincing disinformation to online scammers.
"Pig-butchering" scams 鈥 named for the "fattening up" of victims before taking everything they have 鈥 are a multibillion-dollar illicit industry in which the con artists take on false online identities and spend months grooming their targets to get them to invest on bogus crypto sites. Deepfakes are one more weapon in their arsenal to try and convince unsuspecting marks to part with money.
Typically run by Chinese gangs out of Southeast Asia, it is unclear how widespread the crime is in Hong Kong, a wealthy city where police have long campaigned to raise awareness of telephone scams following several high-profile cases in which the victims 鈥搊ften elderly people 鈥 reported staggeringly high losses.
But increasingly realistic deepfake technology has raised the stakes and put authorities on high alert.
Earlier this year, a British multinational design and engineering company in Hong Kong lost US$25 million to fraudsters after an employee was duped by scammers using deepfake tech to pose as its chief financial officer and other staff.
According to Hong Kong police, the romance gang's deepfake scam typically began with a text message, in which the sender 鈥 posing as an attractive woman 鈥 said they had mistakenly added the wrong number.
The alleged scammers then struck up online romances with their victims, fostering a sense of intimacy until they began planning a future together.
The group was highly organized, divided into departments responsible for different stages of the scam, police said. They even used a training manual to teach members how to carry out the con by taking advantage of "the victim's sincerity and emotion," said police, who posted parts of the manual on Facebook.
Among the steps: learning about the victim's worldview to create a "tailor-made" persona; inventing difficulties such as failed relationships or businesses to "deepen the other person's trust"; and finally, painting a "beautiful vision" including travel plans together to push the victim into investing.
The scam ran for about a year before police received intelligence about it around August, police said. More than 100 cell phones, the equivalent of nearly US$26,000 in cash and a number of luxury watches were recovered in the raid, police said.
In the first of a four-part investigation into the seedy underbelly of the lucrative clothing donation bin industry, CTV W5 puts a spotlight on how some of the clothes Canadians donate to charity end up in markets in Africa.
Some businesses paid a ransom of more than $500,000 after a cyberattack last year, new Statistics Canada data revealed.
Ontario Provincial Police charged an impaired Vermont man who illegally crossed the border into Canada and thought he was still in the United States.
French authorities were hunting Tuesday for a 17-day-old prematurely born baby boy who was abducted from the maternity ward of a Paris-region hospital, with his parents identified as the chief suspects.
The Indian government plans a new law to punish those making hoax bomb threats against flights, which disrupt the schedules of airlines and cause massive inconvenience to thousands of passengers.
愛污传媒 is projecting the New Brunswick Liberals will form a majority government in the province, returning to power for the first time since 2018. Leader Susan Holt will become the first female premier of the province.
Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has chronic myeloid leukemia, NBC News reported on Monday, citing sources.
A manufacturer in Saskatchewan is looking to set a new record by building the world's longest trampoline.
The University Health Network is making masks mandatory as respiratory illness season ramps up.
In the first of a four-part investigation into the seedy underbelly of the lucrative clothing donation bin industry, CTV W5 puts a spotlight on how some of the clothes Canadians donate to charity end up in markets in Africa.
Police in western Newfoundland say a 77-year-old man visiting the province from Kansas is missing after a fire at a hotel in Deer Lake, N.L.
Daily life in Cuba has been largely affected since an outage led to a nationwide blackout in the country, followed by Tropical Storm Oscar hitting the country's east coast. If you're a Canadian stuck in Cuba through this ordeal, 愛污传媒 wants to hear from you.
Victims are sharing the lasting impact of the 2023 triple stabbing at the University of Waterloo. The attacker, Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, previously pled guilty to four assault-related charges.
RCMP in New Brunswick say a weekend ground search for evidence related to the disappearance of a teenage girl in 2021 didn't reveal any new information.
Mounties on Vancouver Island say one person is dead and another is presumed to have drowned after two vehicles were found submerged in a river following heavy rains that washed out roadways across British Columbia.
King Charles III ends the first visit to Australia by a reigning British monarch in 13 years Tuesday with anti-monarchists hoping his journey is a step toward an Australian citizen becoming head of state.
The Indian government plans a new law to punish those making hoax bomb threats against flights, which disrupt the schedules of airlines and cause massive inconvenience to thousands of passengers.
Law enforcement officials found five people killed in a shooting inside a home southeast of Seattle on Monday morning and took a teenager into custody, police said.
The navy identified on Monday the two crew members who died last week in a jet fighter crash near Mount Rainier as two 31-year-old aviators from California.
French authorities were hunting Tuesday for a 17-day-old prematurely born baby boy who was abducted from the maternity ward of a Paris-region hospital, with his parents identified as the chief suspects.
Members of the 'Central Park Five' sued former President Donald Trump on Monday over "false and defamatory" statements they allege he made about their 1989 case during a presidential debate last month.
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces growing pressure to step aside, former B.C. premier Christy Clark says she is open to 'returning to politics' should the position of Liberal leader become available.
Liberal MP Sean Casey is the first to publicly confirm that he has signed a letter calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign, arguing it would be in the best interests of the country to let someone else take the reins.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun 鈥 a dual Canada-United States citizen and the target of an alleged assassination attempt in New York City last year 鈥 says the expelled Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, is 'less of a diplomat, and more of a hypocrite.'
A U.S.-based food manufacturer that supplies frozen waffles to major grocery chains across North America has launched a voluntary recall over concerns its products carry the potential for illness.
The University Health Network is making masks mandatory as respiratory illness season ramps up.
A Quebec-based religion says Health Canada is dragging its feet on a decision whether to allow members to use magic mushrooms in their ceremonies.
In the fight against cyber attackers, they reason AI can help just as much as it harms.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.
A Newfoundland scientist known for identifying a gelatinous, rancid mass that washed up on the island's shores decades ago is hoping to get his hands on a slice of the strange white globs appearing on the province's beaches.
Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has chronic myeloid leukemia, NBC News reported on Monday, citing sources.
Seven new lawsuits have been filed against Sean 鈥楧iddy鈥 Combs, including one alleging the rape of a 13-year-old girl. They come as his lawyers tried again Monday to get him freed on bail, and complained that a 鈥渇resh wave of publicity鈥 is endangering his right to a fair criminal trial.
Jennifer Lawrence will soon be a mom of two. The Oscar-winning actress is pregnant with her second child, a representative for Lawrence told Vogue on Sunday.
Some businesses paid a ransom of more than $500,000 after a cyberattack last year, new Statistics Canada data revealed.
Nearly six months after its opening, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is boosting Canada's energy sector as promised 鈥 but questions still linger about who will pay for the project's massive cost overruns.
A Waterloo, Ont. tech company says it鈥檚 been removed from the U.S. Department of Commerce鈥檚 entity list, after previously supplying technology allegedly used for mass surveillance and censorship.
A manufacturer in Saskatchewan is looking to set a new record by building the world's longest trampoline.
Summer might be the most popular season for tourism to Europe, but it hardly promises a calm, cool and collected experience.
A Saskatoon man is taking his love of card games to new depths 鈥 six feet under, to be exact.
Tua Tagovailoa does not want to be the face of traumatic brain injuries in the NFL, but he knows that's the reality confronting him after his latest concussion.
A parliamentary committee will not question the coaches of the national women's soccer team about the Paris Olympics cheating scandal, after Liberal and Bloc Qu茅b茅cois MPs voted against launching a study today.
If LeBron James Sr. and his son, Bronny, make NBA history Tuesday night by playing in the same game for the Los Angeles Lakers, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. will be there to witness it.
An increased risk of fire has prompted the recall of thousands of Honda hybrid vehicles in Canada.
The U.S. government's road safety agency is investigating Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian.
Canada鈥檚 border guards have seized more than 1,900 stolen cars so far this year at railyards and ports, which is over a hundred more than in 2023.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.
A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.
A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥
John Cantin vividly remembers opening day for his Victoria diner. Stress levels were high, tables were full, and one of the most popular menu items couldn鈥檛 be freed from the unyielding grip of the waffle maker.
A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.
A B.C. judge has issued a decision in a years-long dispute between neighbours that began with a noise complaint over barking dogs, crowing roosters and quacking ducks 鈥 awarding $15,000 in damages to the plaintiffs in the case.
A wave rolled through Surrey on Saturday, nearly painting the town blue, as B.C. Conservatives are leading or elected in seven of the ten provincial ridings in the city.
Vancouver firefighters have contained what they describe as a multi-unit, multi-floor blaze at a high-rise in the city's West End
Mounties on Vancouver Island say one person is dead and another is presumed to have drowned after two vehicles were found submerged in a river following heavy rains that washed out roadways across British Columbia.
A Toronto woman said the cost of parking to visit her mother in hospital, and later in long term care, for 15 months was a financial burden she feels she shouldn鈥檛 have had to pay.
City staff say they have entered into an "urgent" non-competitive contract to replace thousands of failing water metres which are clunking out earlier than expected 鈥 and more failures are anticipated.
The family of a man who died following a fight during a break-in at his Mississauga home earlier this month is appealing to anyone with information to contact authorities.
A student advocacy group to prevent youth nicotine addiction says it wants the Alberta and federal governments to place a ban on all fruity and sweet vape juices.
Police now say a deadly shooting Friday evening in northeast Calgary is linked to organized crime. According to police, about a quarter of the year's total shootings are.
Three people were sent to hospital following a crash on Peigan Trail Monday morning.
A cat rescue southwest of Ottawa is under investigation after allegations of abuse, neglect and falsified medical records have surfaced.
The temperature is set to hit 20 C for a third straight day in Ottawa, as Mother Nature continues to deliver a taste of late summer weather to the national capital region.
Ontario Provincial Police charged an impaired Vermont man who illegally crossed the border into Canada and thought he was still in the United States.
The Jacques Cartier Bridge was closed to traffic in both directions on Tuesday morning due to the presence of demonstrators who climbed the structure.
A Quebec-based religion says Health Canada is dragging its feet on a decision whether to allow members to use magic mushrooms in their ceremonies.
A 23-year-old woman is recovering in hospital after being shot while lying in her bed in Repentigny, Que. on Friday night.
Two people needed to be pulled from a vehicle following a crash in northeast Edmonton Sunday evening.
Edmonton Public Schools support workers will go on strike on Thursday.
An Edmonton tattoo artist is competing for the top prize in the new season of Ink Master.
愛污传媒 is projecting the New Brunswick Liberals will form a majority government in the province, returning to power for the first time since 2018. Leader Susan Holt will become the first female premier of the province.
For the first time in 14 years, Blaine Higgs does not have a seat in the New Brunswick legislature.
The investigation into the sudden death of a 19-year-old Walmart employee over the weekend is ongoing in Halifax.
Almost half of the Winnipeg鈥檚 construction projects are either done or substantially done, according to the city.
A community in southeastern Manitoba is asking for help as it鈥檚 trying to restore a historic church.
New data is revealing the good, the bad and the ugly of artificial intelligence in schools.
The NDP appears to have some momentum in Saskatchewan鈥檚 provincial election campaign with less than a week until votes are tallied.
The debate between Sask Party Leader Scott Moe and NDP Leader Carla Beck touched on many key issues of this year鈥檚 election. However, one issue not in the spotlight was Indigenous issues and the province鈥檚 relationship with First Nations.
Voting for the 2024 Saskatchewan provincial election is set to begin 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
A 36-year-old Cambridge man was arrested on Monday after guns were stolen from a vehicle in Cambridge, according to Waterloo Regional Police.
Testimony continued Monday at the trial of Erick Buhr, who has pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder of his grandmother, Viola Erb.
Victims are sharing the lasting impact of the 2023 triple stabbing at the University of Waterloo. The attacker, Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, previously pled guilty to four assault-related charges.
A Saskatoon man is taking his love of card games to new depths 鈥 six feet under, to be exact.
A Saskatoon LGBTQ+ advocate says if the Saskatchewan Party's proposed change room policy had been in place when he was a kid, he would not have survived high school.
The RCMP says a 32-year-old Saskatchewan woman has been charged with criminal negligence and impaired driving after causing a fatal collision in the wrong lane of Highway 11.
It鈥檚 a story of survival and perseverance. A Chihuahua and terrier mix named Diamondhas been reunited with her owners after going missing in Markstay-Warren in March.
An Indigenous group in northwestern Ontario shut down the highway for a couple of hours Monday morning in protest after ancestral remains were found at a construction site.
Sudbury's Matthew Klug who has been homeless for six months, says he was ordered by bylaw to tear down a structure he built beside his tent.
"Infestations have been proven to negatively impact one's mental health,鈥 proposals put forward to address bug infestations.
Police say that on Saturday, September 28, at around 3:00 p.m., a woman was in the women鈥檚 changeroom of the Canada Games Aquatics Centre on Wonderland Road.
Around 10 p.m. on Oct. 17, police said a teenaged girl met a man in the area of Clarke Road and Wavell Street. The two people struck up a conversation and walked together to the east side of a school in the area.
An Orillia bank was robbed Monday afternoon.
Police charged a motorist after a vehicle crashed into a home in Innisfil Monday afternoon.
The longest-serving mayor in Orillia鈥檚 history passed away on Friday. He was 85.
The running community is mourning the death of a runner following the Detroit Free Press Marathon.
LaSalle Fire Service announced the line of duty death a former firefighter after a prolonged illness, according to a social media post on Monday.
Despite the uncertainties of caring for a mother with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, Lisa Williams feels fortunate to have the time, energy and support of her immediate family.
Mounties on Vancouver Island say one person is dead and another is presumed to have drowned after two vehicles were found submerged in a river following heavy rains that washed out roadways across British Columbia.
A school in Victoria, B.C., went into lockdown Monday before police tasered and arrested a man in the library, according to authorities.
Two people have been arrested and one is still at large in the alleged murder of a woman on Vancouver Island whose 2023 overdose death police treated as suspicious.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
Lethbridge police are advising the public of officer training on Tuesday that will happen in two different venues throughout the day.
Calgary scored three times in the first, and three times in the third as the Hitmen defeated the Lethbridge Hurricanes 6-1 Saturday at the Saddledome.
The last students to graduate from Lethbridge College will make history this weekend as they cross the stage at fall convocation.
Rallies by a group called Voices Against Violence took place across the country on Monday, including Sault Ste. Marie.
An Indigenous group in northwestern Ontario shut down the highway for a couple of hours Monday morning in protest after ancestral remains were found at a construction site.
The owners of 73 vacant properties in the Sault have been fined for violations of the city's vacant properties bylaw, including 33 owned by a firm going through a high-profile insolvency process.
Police in western Newfoundland say a 77-year-old man visiting the province from Kansas is missing after a fire at a hotel in Deer Lake, N.L.
At 2 p.m. on Thursday, the scene at the Lions Club in Clarenville, N.L., rivalled any rowdy St. John's bar that thumps with music late on a weekend night.
A Newfoundland scientist known for identifying a gelatinous, rancid mass that washed up on the island's shores decades ago is hoping to get his hands on a slice of the strange white globs appearing on the province's beaches.
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