AI-powered deepfake scams targeting dating and investment victims in China
Scammers in multiple countries are using AI-generated deepfake videos and voice cloning to impersonate celebrities and financial experts, defrauding victims of substantial sums through romantic and investment schemes. Nigerian criminal networks reportedly operated fake Dubai prince accounts, while Chinese fraudsters created counterfeit brokerage apps and analyst accounts using similar technology.
What happened
A Philippine domestic worker was defrauded by an AI-generated deepfake video impersonating a Dubai prince. The scammer used AI video synthesis with matching lip movements to conduct WhatsApp video calls, convincing the victim she was in a romantic relationship.
Fraudsters stole the victim's one year of savings (100,000 Philippine pesos, approximately 11,000 yuan) by claiming the money was for marriage certificates and 'royal member cards' to help her find work in Dubai. The scam was uncovered when the scammer requested additional funds and the victim discovered the Facebook account was registered in Nigeria.
In China, non-licensed individuals are using AI face-swap and voice-cloning technology to create fake videos of investment analysts and financial professionals, then directing victims to fraudulent trading platforms and non-genuine brokerage apps.
Reported impact
The Global Anti-Fraud Coalition reported that global consumers lost 442 billion dollars to various scams in 2025, including romance fraud. In the United States alone, fraud losses reached 68 billion dollars in 2025.
In China, at least one securities firm received over 1,900 fraudulent impersonation case reports in 2025 involving fake app scams with a total reported value of 30 million yuan. Victims were defrauded through fake investment apps, impersonated analyst accounts, and false stock trading promises.
Index analysis
The scams represent a decline in fraud thresholds enabled by accessible AI tools. Perpetrators generate synthetic audio-video content of public figures including celebrities and financial analysts without authorization, lowering the technical barrier to creating convincing deceptive materials.
Research confirmed that multiple similar impersonation fraud cases linked to Nigerian criminal networks using the Dubai prince identity. In France, a woman was defrauded of 830,000 euros by a scammer impersonating American actor Brad Pitt using similar techniques.
Governance controls
Chinese securities regulators have identified AI-powered illegal stock recommendations, rumor-spreading, and illegal trading as enforcement priorities. The Global Anti-Fraud Coalition and U.S. consumer research indicate that only 12 percent of fraud cases involved AI or deepfake technology in 2025.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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