{ "meta": { "exportedAt": "2026-09-22T20:19:53.419Z", "formatVersion": 2, "selection": { "q": "bank", "system": "", "harm": "", "context": "", "country": "", "role": "", "relation": "", "evidence": "", "year": "", "response": "regulatory", "severity": "", "verification": "", "view": "incidents", "sort": "added" }, "totalIncidents": 3, "coverage": { "cases": 3, "countries": 3, "languages": 3, "unknownLocation": 0, "locationPending": 0, "unknownLanguage": 0, "unknownDate": 0, "lawsuits": 0, "regulatory": 3, "minors": 0, "coreRelations": 3, "contextualRelations": 0, "mixedRelations": 0, "unknownRelations": 0, "relationPending": 0, "relationUnknown": 0 }, "countingNote": "Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.", "affectedCountNote": "Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.", "source": "NOPE Incident Tracker", "url": "https://nope.net/incidents", "license": "CC BY 4.0" }, "incidents": [ { "id": "2026-picos-piaui-ai-voice-clone-uncle-car-purchase-fraud", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Os golpistas utilizaram foto e áudios com voz clonada por inteligência artificial para se passar pelo tio'; 'iniciou negociação na segunda-feira (10), após encontrar um anúncio na internet com venda em Fortaleza (CE)'; 'Eles usaram a foto do familiar do influenciador e enviaram áudios que imitavam a voz dele'; 'usando algum tipo de inteligência artificial e a voz idêntica'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "On 10-11 August 2026 fraudsters contacted the influencer from a different number using his uncle's photo and sent audios imitating the uncle's voice, generated with AI, to pose as the uncle who was supposed to inspect a car advertised for sale in Fortaleza.", "causal_attribution": "Victim's account as reported by G1." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'perdeu mais de R$ 56 mil ao cair em um golpe durante a compra de um carro'; 'o golpista afirmou que o carro estava em boas condições e o orientou a realizar a transferência bancária'; 'entrou em contato com o número verdadeiro do tio descobriu que havia sido vítima de um golpe. O prejuízo ultrapassou R$ 56 mil'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Believing the audios came from his uncle, he made the bank transfer; the loss exceeded R$56,000, and he discovered the fraud when he called the uncle's real number.", "causal_attribution": "Victim's account; the loss is attributed to the fraudsters." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'Um boletim de ocorrência foi registrado na terça-feira (11) e o caso é investigado pela Delegacia Especializada em Crimes contra o Patrimônio (Depatri)'; 'também tenta, junto aos bancos, o reembolso do valor pago'", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "A police report was registered on Tuesday 11 August 2026; the case is under investigation by Depatri; the victim is seeking reimbursement from the banks.", "causal_attribution": "G1 report; the police unit had not responded to G1." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "a bank transfer of more than R$56,000 lost after audios in a relative's AI-cloned voice 'confirmed' the purchase", "claim_id": "c2", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://g1.globo.com/pi/piaui/noticia/2026/08/13/influenciador-golpe-com-voz-clonada.ghtml", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "pt", "translation_note": "Read live in Portuguese on 2026-09-20 (HTTP 200). Based on the victim's social-media account and an interview with G1; quotations translated by the reviewer.", "independence_group": "g1-piaui-2026-08-13" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance", "everyday_life" ], "unknowns": [ "The voice-cloning tool is not identified and no police or technical confirmation of the AI element is reported.", "The exact amount beyond 'more than R$56,000' and whether any money was recovered are not stated.", "Whether the uncle's number or accounts were compromised, or how the fraudsters obtained his photo and voice, is not reported.", "No later coverage of the investigation was found.", "An embedded video title on the G1 page gives the loss as R$ 50 mil; the article text says more than R$ 56 mil, which this record follows." ], "geography": { "basis": "Victim in Picos, Piauí; the car was advertised in Fortaleza, Ceará, where the impersonated uncle lives; police report with the Piauí Depatri (G1 Piauí). No court proceeding.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "BR" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "BR" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation-fraud case with a concrete financial loss reported by the victim in a public account and a registered police report. One source (G1 Piauí) read in full; claims recorded as reported and attributed. The victim is a public influencer who reported the case under his own name; he is not named in this record.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-20" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The victim states that the fraudsters sent audios imitating his uncle's voice 'usando algum tipo de inteligência artificial e a voz idêntica' together with the uncle's photo; G1 reports this as his account. No police or technical confirmation of the AI element is reported and the tool is unknown.", "status": "reported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Picos, Piauí, Brazil: a digital influencer lost more than R$56,000 when fraudsters sent him audio messages in his uncle's AI-cloned voice 'confirming' a car he was buying in Fortaleza", "summary": "On Monday 10 August 2026 a digital influencer from Picos, in the centre-south of Piauí, began negotiating a car advertised online for sale in Fortaleza (Ceará), where an uncle of his lives, and asked the sellers to take the car to the uncle so he could inspect it. On Tuesday 11 August a contact using a different number but the uncle's photo sent him audio messages in a voice identical to his uncle's, generated with artificial intelligence, saying the car was in good condition and telling him to make the bank transfer. Believing he was speaking to his uncle, he transferred the money; when he then called the uncle's real number he learned he had been defrauded. The loss exceeded R$56,000, money he says he had saved for years. He registered a police report on 11 August; the Piauí property-crimes unit (Depatri) is investigating and he is seeking a refund from the banks. The account is the victim's own, reported by G1 Piauí on 13 August 2026 from his social-media posts and an interview; the police unit did not respond to G1 before publication.", "incidentDate": "2026-08-11", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "day", "exposurePattern": "single_interaction", "reportedDate": "2026-08-13", "aiSystem": "AI voice cloning (tool not identified)", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "One person lost more than R$56,000 in a bank transfer made after receiving audios in his uncle's cloned voice; the victim attributes the persuasion to AI voice cloning and the loss to the fraudsters.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "alleged", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "One victim who made the transfer (G1 Piauí). No loss is reported for the uncle whose photo and voice were imitated, so he is not counted. Exact 1.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "BR", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://g1.globo.com/pi/piaui/noticia/2026/08/13/influenciador-golpe-com-voz-clonada.ghtml", "primarySourceLabel": "G1 Piauí, 13 August 2026: Influenciador do PI perde R$ 56 mil em golpe com voz clonada por IA durante compra de carro", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-20T03:28:14.49159+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "voice-cloning", "impersonation", "car-purchase-fraud", "brazil", "piaui", "financial-loss", "first-person-account" ] }, { "id": "2026-shanghai-ai-generated-persona-online-romance-fraud-170k-yuan", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "«对方自称1992年出生，是知名三甲医院医生，手握医院物业工程项目资源» (she claimed to be born in 1992, a doctor at a well-known tertiary hospital, holding hospital property-engineering project resources); «陆续向对方转账共计17万元» (transferred a total of 170,000 yuan in instalments); «就连想要打一通视频电话，对方也会以母亲在一旁看管作为理由拒绝» (even a video call was refused on the ground that her mother was watching); «反复回想交往细节，…越想越不对劲，才到派出所报案» (thinking back over the details he felt something was wrong and went to the police station).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "«在短短5个月时间里，…陆续向对方转账共计17万元» (in just five months he transferred 170,000 yuan in total); «去年开始与其频繁聊天» (frequent chatting began last year, i.e. 2025).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Over five months the man transferred a total of 170,000 yuan to a woman he had met on a social platform in 2021 who claimed to be a 1992-born doctor at a well-known top-tier hospital with property-engineering projects to award; she refused meetings and video calls citing her mother; he reported to the police when the promised projects never materialised.", "causal_attribution": "police account via the programme 案件聚焦, relayed by Jiupai News and Guangming Net; single official chain." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "«实际出生于1961年，现年65岁，她并无医生资质，仅曾在医院从事后勤保洁工作» (actually born in 1961, now 65, no medical qualification, had only done hospital logistics cleaning); «注意到部分视频角落有一行小字提示：本作品含AI生成内容» (noticed a small corner label on some videos: this work contains AI-generated content); «累计近七千条日常视频、上万粉丝，全都是AI磨皮、场景合成制作而成» (nearly 7,000 videos and 10,000-plus followers, all made with AI skin-smoothing and scene compositing); «一人分饰两角，利用多个账号，分别扮演自己和早已离世的母亲» (played two roles through multiple accounts, herself and her long-dead mother).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "«…社交账号发布的累计近7000条日常视频、上万粉丝，全都是AI磨皮、场景合成制作而成» (the account's nearly 7,000 videos were all AI-processed).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Police found the woman was born in 1961, aged 65, had no medical qualification and had worked as a hospital cleaner; her close to 7,000 videos were made with AI skin-smoothing and scene compositing, some carrying a small 'contains AI-generated content' label the victim had never noticed; she used multiple accounts to play herself and her deceased mother.", "causal_attribution": "Police findings as presented in the programme; no independent chain." }, { "id": "c3", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "«全部被她用于医美护肤、购置衣物等个人挥霍。2009年，她还曾因诈骗罪被判处有期徒刑四年六个月» (all spent on cosmetic treatments and clothing; in 2009 she was sentenced to four years six months for fraud); «因涉嫌诈骗罪，已被公安机关依法采取刑事强制措施» (criminal coercive measures taken for suspected fraud).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "«…曾于2009年因诈骗罪被判监4年半。目前，…因涉嫌诈骗罪已被公安机关采取刑事强制措施» (2009 fraud sentence of four and a half years; now under criminal coercive measures).", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" } ], "assertion": "The 170,000 yuan was spent on cosmetic skin treatments and clothing; the woman had been sentenced to four years and six months for fraud in 2009; she is under criminal coercive measures for suspected fraud.", "causal_attribution": "Police statement relayed by press." }, { "id": "c4", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "«同时与十余人保持暧昧关系» (simultaneously kept ambiguous relationships with more than ten people). (police-attributed sentence in the Epoch Times)", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s4" }, { "locator": "headline: '65岁阿姨AI换脸装“90后”美女，谈10多个暧昧对象' (the s1 body text does not repeat it)", "relation": "context", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Police said the woman simultaneously kept ambiguous relationships with more than ten people; no loss by anyone else is reported.", "causal_attribution": "Police statement relayed by the Epoch Times; context only, no further victims quantified." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "a man transferred 170,000 yuan over five months to a fabricated AI-processed persona and the money is reported spent", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://m.gmw.cn/2026-09/16/content_1304564495.htm", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "zh", "translation_note": "Read in Chinese on 2026-09-19 (Guangming Net, 16 September 2026, sourced to 贵阳晚报). Marks the victim's name as a pseudonym (化名). Same police-programme chain as the other sources. Model-read original; English glosses unreviewed by a bilingual human. Chain line '综合：法治日报、案件聚焦、深圳新闻网'.", "independence_group": "shanghai-police-case-focus-programme" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260915A0CNH000", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "zh", "translation_note": "Read in Chinese on 2026-09-19 (Jiupai News on Tencent News, 15 September 2026; body recovered from the page's script payload). Carries the attribution line 来源：案件聚焦、看看新闻. Same chain as s1. Its lede reads '五年网恋' where its body and s1 say five months; the Jiaohuidian copy of the same text reads '关注对方账号五年、五个月网恋', so the lede is a truncation. Jiupai does not mark the names as pseudonyms; s1, s3 and s4 do.", "independence_group": "shanghai-police-case-focus-programme" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://www.stheadline.com/zh-hans/realtime-china/3616014/AI%E5%8F%98%E8%84%B8%E9%AA%97%E5%B1%8065%E5%B2%81%E6%B8%85%E6%B4%81%E9%98%BF%E5%A7%A8%E4%BC%AA%E8%A3%8590%E5%90%8E%E7%BE%8E%E5%A5%B3%E5%8C%BB%E7%94%9F-%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E7%94%B7%E7%BD%91%E6%81%8B5%E4%B8%AA%E6%9C%88%E8%A2%AB%E9%AA%9717%E4%B8%87", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "zh", "translation_note": "Read in Chinese on 2026-09-19 (Sing Tao Headline, Hong Kong; '综合内媒报道', a digest of mainland reports). Marks both names as pseudonyms. Same chain.", "independence_group": "shanghai-police-case-focus-programme" }, { "id": "s4", "url": "https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/9/17/n14851558.htm", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "zh", "translation_note": "Read in Chinese on 2026-09-19 (Epoch Times, 17 September 2026; '据大陆媒体报导'). Adds the police statement that the suspect kept ambiguous relationships with more than ten people. Same chain.", "independence_group": "shanghai-police-case-focus-programme" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "relationships", "finance" ], "unknowns": [ "The months of the five-month relationship and of the police report are not stated; frequent chatting began in 2025 per Guangming Net, so the first known event year is recorded as 2025 at year precision.", "The AI tools used to make the videos are not identified.", "Whether prosecutors have charged the suspect, and whether any money was recovered, is not reported.", "Whether any of the more than ten other contacts lost money is not reported.", "The Kankan News 案件聚焦 broadcast page was not readable (script shell); the programme's account is known through press relays." ], "geography": { "basis": "The victim is described as a Shanghai man (上海男子), the two were in the same city (同在一个城市) and the demanded flat was in Shanghai (在上海购置房产); no court proceeding is reported.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "CN" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "CN" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation case with a documented 170,000 yuan loss to one person, where police examined the AI-processed videos and their AI-content label. One official chain relayed by several outlets, so claims are recorded as reported. Both parties are pseudonymised in the reporting and the pseudonyms have been elided from the quoted passages here.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-19" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "police, via the Kankan News programme 案件聚焦, said officers found an AI-generated-content label on some of the suspect's videos and established that her roughly 7,000 videos were produced with AI skin-smoothing and scene compositing. The AI content depicted a fabricated young persona shown to the victim, which is why depicted_or_impersonated is recorded; the chat itself was conducted by the suspect, so communicated_with is not recorded. Single official chain relayed by several outlets.", "status": "supported" }, "person_relations": [ "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Shanghai: a man transferred 170,000 yuan over a five-month online romance with a '1992-born hospital doctor' whose roughly 7,000 videos were AI-processed fabrications by a 65-year-old woman; police took criminal coercive measures", "summary": "police, as presented by the Kankan News programme 案件聚焦 (Case Focus), reported in September 2026 that a Shanghai property-engineering contractor had transferred 170,000 yuan in total during a five-month online relationship with a woman he had met on a social platform in 2021. She presented herself as born in 1992, a doctor at a well-known top-tier hospital with hospital property-engineering projects to award, and ran an account with more than 10,000 followers and close to 7,000 short videos of daily life. She refused to meet or take a video call, saying her mother opposed the relationship and demanded a 300,000 yuan bride price and a Shanghai flat; the man reported to a police station when the promised projects never materialised and his savings ran down. Police found she was born in 1961, aged 65, had no medical qualification and had worked as a hospital cleaner; the receiving bank account was registered to another man; the videos were all made with AI skin-smoothing and scene compositing, some carrying a small 'this work contains AI-generated content' label he had never noticed; and she used multiple accounts to play both herself and her long-dead mother. The money had gone on cosmetic treatments and clothing; she had a 2009 fraud conviction with a sentence of four and a half years and is now under criminal coercive measures for suspected fraud. Police also said she kept ambiguous relationships with more than ten people; no other losses are reported.", "incidentDate": "2025-01-01", "incidentKind": "bounded_series", "incidentDatePrecision": "year", "exposurePattern": "cumulative_relationship", "reportedDate": "2026-09-15", "aiSystem": "AI video processing ('AI磨皮、场景合成': AI skin-smoothing and scene compositing) used to produce close to 7,000 short videos of a fabricated young 'doctor' persona; tools not identified", "severity": "medium", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A Shanghai man transferred 170,000 yuan over five months to a fabricated 'doctor' persona whose videos police found were AI-processed; the money is reported spent and no recovery is reported.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "One man with a documented loss of 170,000 yuan. Police said the suspect kept ambiguous relationships with more than ten other people, but no loss by anyone else is reported, so they are not counted.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "CN", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://m.gmw.cn/2026-09/16/content_1304564495.htm", "primarySourceLabel": "Guangming Net (光明网), 16 September 2026: 65岁阿姨AI换脸装“90后”美女，谈10多个暧昧对象 (Shanghai police programme 案件聚焦 via 贵阳晚报)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-20T03:12:46.86943+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "ai-generated-video", "synthetic-persona", "romance-fraud", "shanghai", "china", "financial-loss", "police-reported", "ai-content-label" ] }, { "id": "2026-singapore-deepfake-zoom-pm-impersonation-funding-scam", "caseFacts": { "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'A person lost at least $4.9 million after falling for a scam involving the impersonation of senior government officials'; 'received a WhatsApp message with a profile photo of Mr Wong Hong Kuan'; 'transferred the money through a series of transactions to a corporate bank account supplied by the scammers'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s2" }, { "locator": "'He lost at least $4.9 million after believing that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had sought his help'; 'the email was sent from a Proton Mail account'; 'invited to a Zoom video conference ... fabricated using deepfake artificial intelligence technology'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s3" }, { "locator": "'In one case, a victim lost at least S$4.9 million (US$3.8 million) in what was claimed to be funding assistance related to the Strait of Hormuz'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "A businessman lost at least S$4.9 million after being approached by scammers posing as the Secretary to the Cabinet, signing an NDA, receiving a fake letter of guarantee with the Prime Minister's signature, attending a deepfake Zoom conference of government officials, and then transferring money in a series of transactions to a corporate account.", "causal_attribution": "Singapore Police Force advisory relayed by three outlets; single official chain." }, { "id": "c2", "status": "reported", "evidence": [ { "locator": "'the speech did not synchronise with the speakers' lips'; 'the speech was broadcast via one account throughout the call'; 'end with a deepfake video of PM Wong delivering closing remarks, which included an acknowledgement of the victim's attendance'.", "relation": "supports", "source_id": "s1" } ], "assertion": "Police obtained the footage of the fabricated Zoom conference depicting the Prime Minister, the President, Minister Indranee Rajah, MAS representatives and foreign officials, and identified deepfake indicators: speech out of sync with lips, audio broadcast from one account, and a distorted background and Zoom logo; the fake Prime Minister's closing remarks acknowledged the victim's attendance.", "causal_attribution": "Police statement on their own examination of the footage, reported by CNA." } ], "effects": [ { "label": "a businessman lost at least S$4.9 million after a deepfake video conference of government officials and a fake letter of guarantee", "claim_id": "c1", "direction": "negative" } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "url": "https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/impersonation-scam-fake-zoom-meeting-footage-lawrence-wong-tharman-indranee-police-6125691", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 (CNA, 16 May 2026). Reports the police release of the fabricated Zoom footage, the participants depicted and the deepfake indicators.", "independence_group": "spf-advisory" }, { "id": "s2", "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/victim-loses-at-least-4-9m-in-scam-involving-deepfakes-of-pm-wong-government-officials", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 (Straits Times, 14 May 2026). Reports the SPF advisory: WhatsApp and proton.me approach, NDA, letter of guarantee, Zoom call, transfers, and the 9 May SIM-card charges.", "independence_group": "spf-advisory" }, { "id": "s3", "url": "https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/police-spf-advisory-government-official-impersonation-scam-pm-lawrence-wong-funding-assistance-hormuz-49-million", "kind": "news_report", "access": "read", "language": "en", "translation_note": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 (AsiaOne, 13/14 May 2026). Same SPF advisory with screenshots of the WhatsApp and email approach.", "independence_group": "spf-advisory" } ], "version": 1, "ai_roles": [ "others_use" ], "contexts": [ "finance", "public_services" ], "unknowns": [ "The victim's identity, business and the exact date of the transfers are not published (advisory 14 May 2026).", "No arrest for this loss or recovery of funds is reported.", "The deepfake tools used are not identified.", "Whether the victim has pursued civil recovery is unknown." ], "geography": { "basis": "Singapore Police Force advisory; the victim is described as a Singapore business professional who had dealt with government officials (Straits Times, CNA). No court proceeding for this loss is reported; the 9 May SIM-card charges concern earlier cases.", "court_countries": [], "event_countries": [ "SG" ], "affected_person_countries": [ "SG" ] }, "publication": { "basis": "Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an impersonation-fraud case with a large documented loss to one person, where the police examined and released the AI-generated footage. Three Singapore outlets read, all relaying SPF advisories; claims recorded as reported. Victim unnamed; impersonated officials are public figures.", "reviewed_on": "2026-09-18" }, "ai_involvement": { "basis": "The Singapore Police Force obtained the Zoom footage and described specific deepfake indicators (speech out of sync with lips, audio broadcast from a single account, distorted background and logo). The AI content depicted and impersonated named officials, and the fabricated closing remarks were addressed to the victim, acknowledging his attendance, which is why communicated_with is also recorded.", "status": "supported" }, "person_relations": [ "communicated_with", "depicted_or_impersonated" ] }, "name": "Singapore: a businessman lost at least S$4.9 million after a deepfake Zoom 'briefing' with fabricated Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and other officials asked him for 'urgent funding assistance'", "summary": "In May 2026 the Singapore Police Force (SPF) reported that a man had lost at least S$4.9 million (about US$3.8 million) to a government-official impersonation scam. He received a WhatsApp message carrying the profile photo of Secretary to the Cabinet Wong Hong Kuan and an email from a proton.me address in that name, requesting urgent funding assistance for 'the situation in the Strait of Hormuz', with a fake 'letter of guarantee' bearing the Prime Minister's signature promising reimbursement within 15 business days; he signed a non-disclosure agreement and supplied a copy of his identity card. He was then invited to a Zoom video conference in which Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister Indranee Rajah, Monetary Authority of Singapore representatives and foreign officials appeared; all were fabricated with deepfake AI, and the closing 'remarks' by the fake Prime Minister acknowledged the victim's attendance. Contacted afterwards on WhatsApp by a scammer posing as a lawyer, he transferred the money in a series of transactions to a corporate bank account, and realised the fraud only when he contacted the real cabinet secretary. On 16 May the police released footage of the fake conference, noting lips out of sync with speech, audio broadcast from a single account and a distorted background.", "incidentDate": "2026-05-01", "incidentKind": "single_event", "incidentDatePrecision": "month", "exposurePattern": "single_interaction", "reportedDate": "2026-05-14", "aiSystem": "Deepfake AI video and audio fabricating Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister Indranee Rajah and other officials in a Zoom conference (tools not identified)", "severity": "high", "verificationStatus": "credible", "harmCategories": [], "harmOutcomes": [ "financial_loss" ], "harmOutcomeSummary": "A businessman transferred at least S$4.9 million to scammers after a deepfake video conference fabricating the Prime Minister and other officials; the police documented the AI-generated footage.", "frameworkFacets": [], "causationStatus": "supported", "participantUsersAffectedMin": 0, "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 1, "affectedCountStatus": "exact", "affectedCountEvidence": "Police describe a single victim who lost at least S$4.9 million. Exact count of one; the impersonated officials are not counted.", "victimAgeRange": "adult", "jurisdiction": "SG", "platformType": "other", "outcomeType": "investigation_opened", "outcomeStatus": "ongoing", "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/victim-loses-at-least-4-9m-in-scam-involving-deepfakes-of-pm-wong-government-officials", "primarySourceLabel": "The Straits Times, 14 May 2026: Victim loses at least $4.9m in scam involving deepfakes of PM Wong, government officials (Singapore Police Force advisory)", "firstPublishedAt": "2026-09-18T03:25:14.306192+00:00", "scopeVersion": "facts-v3", "tags": [ "deepfake", "government-impersonation", "zoom", "video-conference", "fraud", "singapore", "financial-loss", "police-documented" ] } ] }