Criminal group uses AI deepfakes to breach face recognition and steal personal data
A criminal group in Hangzhou used AI deepfake technology to bypass facial recognition authentication systems on foreign platforms, stealing personal data from users and selling it to fraud gangs. Police arrested four suspects in August 2024 after discovering the scheme in June, which generated profits of approximately 200,000 yuan.
What happened
In June 2024, Hangzhou police discovered a criminal group using AI face-swap technology on an overseas platform to bypass facial recognition login authentication and obtain user information. The group stole users' personal photographs, input them into a foreign multimodal foundation model with text prompts describing desired effects such as mouth opening, head turning, or blinking, and generated corresponding videos to circumvent authentication systems.
The four-person criminal group, identified as Hu Mouyun (26), Hu Mouyun (23), Zhang Guoguo (29), and Wu Mouhao (29), was arrested across Anhui, Guizhou, and Zhejiang provinces in August 2024. The group's purposes were to spy on users' personal privacy and to sell personal information to fraud gangs, profiting approximately 200,000 yuan.
Reported impact
Users had their personal information stolen and exposed to fraud networks through the deliberate collection and sale of data obtained via deepfake-enabled account breaches.
Governance controls
Police advised the public to strengthen information security management on personal devices and avoid clicking unknown links. Authorities recommended platforms accelerate technical upgrades and add optical authentication and other facial recognition features to better protect privacy information.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.