AI-generated romance scam defrauds UK woman of £20,000
A UK care worker lost approximately £20,000 to romance scammers who used AI-generated videos, images and voice to impersonate a fictional US Army colonel named 'Mike Murdy' on Tinder. The scammers sent her fake videos, photographs and trinkets, then pressured her to pay fees to receive a supposed military briefcase containing £607,000.
What happened
Mary, a UK care worker in her sixties, met 'Mike Murdy' on the dating app Tinder in October. The profile presented him as a 61-year-old US Army colonel from Nashville, stationed in the UK and about to retire.
The scammers used AI-generated videos, photographs and voice to convince Mary that 'Mike Murdy' was real. He sent her videos dressed in a military uniform, a photograph claiming to show him and his late wife who died of cancer five years ago, and trinkets and keepsakes by post.
The scammers told Mary that 'Mike Murdy' had a military briefcase containing £607,000 that he wanted to send to her. They claimed she needed to pay fees to obtain a six-digit access code to unlock the briefcase, demanding a £10,000 payment. By the time Mary realised the AI-generated persona was fake, she had lost approximately £20,000.
Reported impact
Mary lost almost £20,000 of her savings in the scam. She had been single for more than 20 years and was vulnerable to the emotional manipulation.
Index analysis
Financial authorities warned of a new generation of AI-enabled romance scams, describing the technology used as a new level of sophistication in fraud. Experts noted there is an arms race to develop technology to detect AI frauds, and the US embassy has issued warnings about conmen posing as US soldiers.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.