AI voice-cloning romance scam defrauds over 20,000 men in Taiwan
A Taiwan-based romance scam syndicate led by Huang Jianhao and his wife Xu Xiangqi used AI voice-cloning technology to deceive over 20,000 men into sending money for fake romantic relationships, generating at least 900 million New Taiwan dollars in illegal proceeds over five years. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office charged 57 people in the case.
What happened
Huang Jianhao, 47, and his wife Xu Xiangqi, 32, led a romance fraud ring operating since 2022 through the Wanhao Qunying biotechnology company as a front. The group used AI voice-cloning software developed by hired engineers that could learn female voices and convert male employees' or older women's voices into sweet female voices in real time.
The syndicate operated on multiple dating platforms targeting affluent men. Staff posed as female escorts via voice-cloned calls and video chats, defrauding over 20,000 victims of at least 900 million New Taiwan dollars over five years. The group used systems called 'I Assistant' for date scheduling and 'ERP Performance Management' to track operations.
Reported impact
Over 20,000 victims were defrauded of at least 900 million New Taiwan dollars. Some victims reportedly remain indebted and in financial hardship.
57 people were charged by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office. Huang and co-conspirator Zhou Qiaoyu were remanded in custody without bail; Xu received conditional release on 2 million New Taiwan dollars bail.
Index analysis
The voice-cloning system's real-time learning capability made it difficult for victims to distinguish artificial voices from genuine human interaction, targeting psychological vulnerabilities in online dating contexts.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.