Shanghai Man Convicted of Extortion Using AI-Forged Medical Records
A Shanghai man was convicted of extortion after using AI software to forge hospital diagnoses and medical bills to demand compensation from restaurants. The defendant created fake medical records claiming foodborne illness, successfully extorting 2,500 yuan and attempting to extort over 7,000 yuan more across multiple restaurants before arrest.
What happened
In November 2025, a man surnamed Yang dined at a barbecue restaurant in Shanghai's Yangpu District and claimed to have stomach pain, suspecting the food was contaminated. He downloaded medical records from social media, used AI software to alter patient names on the documents to his own, and demanded 'medical compensation' from the restaurant. This first attempt succeeded and he obtained 2,000 yuan.
Between November 2025 and January 2026, Yang repeatedly used AI software to forge hospital diagnoses, medical bills, hospital payment receipts, electronic invoices, and photos of vomit for himself and his girlfriend, claiming acute gastroenteritis. He threatened to file complaints with market regulators, the 12315 hotline, or post negative reviews on consumer platforms. Some restaurants paid money out of fear of complaints or bad reviews.
Police investigation found that Yang's public restaurant surveillance video showed he had dined there but with no signs of illness. Comparing his submitted materials with hospital electronic receipts, discrepancies emerged. Hospital records confirmed Yang had never sought treatment. Yang confessed that all materials were generated using AI tools.
Reported impact
Yang successfully extorted 2,500 yuan from multiple restaurants and attempted to extort over 7,000 yuan more. Restaurants and small merchants reported difficulty defending against such deceptive behavior, which occurs frequently across food delivery, fresh produce, and digital product platforms.
Index analysis
The AI image editing tool lowered the technical barrier for document forgery. Yang discovered the extortion method from a social media post about using acute gastroenteritis diagnoses to obtain compensation, then replicated the scheme across multiple restaurants with increasingly higher demands.
Governance controls
The Shanghai Yangpu District People's Court convicted Yang of extortion and sentenced him to four months detention with four months suspension and a 2,000 yuan fine. After the judgment, Yang fully compensated victims and obtained their forgiveness. Internet platforms have begun deploying algorithmic risk control models trained on order and review data to automatically detect AI-forged medical credentials, manipulated images, and suspicious patterns.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.