The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of the Philippines recently uncovered a new scamming technique in a raid—suspects used artificial intelligence (AI) to forge identities and deceive victims on online dating platforms. NBI Director Jaime Santiago personally witnessed this scamming pattern and warned the public to be vigilant.
"Using artificial intelligence for scams is an extremely dangerous trend," Santiago said. Criminals use AI to generate realistic virtual images to deceive and gain the trust of victims.
One of the arrested Filipino women confessed that the scamming group used AI image generation technology to create fake female models and interact with foreign victims through video calls.
"I just chat with clients, and during video calls, we use different models. Sometimes it's just a simple greeting, then we continue the conversation," she revealed.
NBI agents found scam scripts on the suspects' phones and computers, detailing how to build trust with victims and eventually lead them to conduct financial transactions.
Santiago explained, "Once they successfully gain the victims' trust, they induce them to open cryptocurrency accounts and then sweep away the funds." He specifically warned that as Valentine's Day approaches, scammers might be active on dating apps, and the public should be alert to avoid falling into traps.
The NBI suspects that these perpetrators might be linked to previously shut down Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO). NBI National Capital Region head Ferdinand Lavin pointed out that these scammers are "residual forces" of illegal POGO activities.
"These suspects are remnants of offshore gaming scam groups. The masterminds have already fled the Philippines, while they continue to stay locally and conduct scams," Lavin said.
Currently, the NBI is intensively investigating the operation mode of this scamming group and tracking its masterminds to prevent more people from becoming victims.
