{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-31T07:55:46.776Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"deepfake-video","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"core","evidence":"","year":"","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":5,"coverage":{"cases":5,"countries":7,"languages":4,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":2,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":2,"minors":0,"coreRelations":5,"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":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2024-ulsan-court-jails-couple-who-ran-cambodia-romance-investment-fraud-with-deepfake-investment-expert-videos","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"두 사람은 2024년 1월부터 1년간 캄보디아 보레이 지역 등지에 보이스피싱을 목적으로 하는 범죄단체를 조직한 뒤 딥페이크 기술을 악용해 ‘로맨스 스캠’ 방식의 투자 리딩 사기 범행을 저지른 혐의를 받는다.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"이들 부부는 2024년 1월부터 지난해 1월까지 캄보디아 보레이 지역 등에서 전화금융사기(보이스피싱) 범죄 단체를 조직하고 '딥페이크'를 활용해 한국인을 대상으로 로맨스 스캠 방식으로 투자를 유도한 혐의로 구속 기소됐다.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors charged that from January 2024 to January 2025 the couple organised and ran phone-fraud groups in Cambodia that used romance-scam methods and deepfakes to draw Koreans into investments.","causal_attribution":"The charges as stated in the indictment; s2 restates them in its sentencing report. One prosecutorial origin."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"딥페이크 기술로 유튜브 영상을 촬영해 마치 투자전문가인 것처럼 행세하며 피해자들을 상대로 투자금을 유도했다.; 피해자를 상대로 사적인 대화를 하며 친분을 쌓은 뒤 투자금을 받아냈다.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the prosecutors' investigation, the husband used deepfake technology to film YouTube videos in which he posed as an investment expert to draw investments from victims, while the wife befriended victims in private conversations before taking their money.","causal_attribution":"The deepfake step is the prosecutors' finding as reported from the Ministry of Justice announcement; the technical basis is not disclosed. Single outlet."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"이러한 범행으로 국내 피해자 97명으로부터 약 101억원을 가로챘다.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"딥페이크 기술로 만든 가상인물을 앞세워 한국인 100여명한테 약 101억원을 가로챈 혐의를 받고 있다.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The prosecutors count 97 victims in South Korea and about 10.1 billion won taken; reports of the judgment put the victims at about 100.","causal_attribution":"Counts from the indictment and the court reporting; the split between the two figures is recorded rather than resolved."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"두 사람 모두 지난 4월 열린 첫 재판에서 혐의를 인정했으나; 울산지법 형사12부(박강민 부장판사)는 24일 범죄단체조직 등 혐의로 재판에 넘겨진 30대 남편 A씨에게 징역 15년과 추징금 1억4천여만원, 아내 B씨에게는 징역 9년과 추징금 6천800만원을 선고했다.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"피해자들이 신청한 배상명령은 각하됐다.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Both defendants admitted the charges at the first hearing in April 2026, and on 24 July 2026 the Ulsan District Court sentenced the husband to 15 years and the wife to 9 years in prison, with forfeiture orders; the victims' compensation-order applications were dismissed.","causal_attribution":"Two reporters' accounts of the same judgment; one court origin, so reported."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"피해자들이 극심한 피해를 호소하고 있고 엄벌을 탄원하고 있는 반면, 피고인들은 피해 회복을 위해 아무런 노력을 하지 않고 있다","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"피해자들은 극심한 피해를 호소하며 엄벌을 탄원하고 있지만, 피해 회복을 위해 아무런 노력도 하지 않고 있다","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The court said the victims described severe harm and asked for strict punishment while the defendants had made no effort to compensate them.","causal_attribution":"The court's sentencing reasons as quoted by two outlets; one origin."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"공소청은 22일 부산고법 울산재판부 울산제1형사부(유정우 부장판사) 심리로 열린 A씨 항소심 공판에서 징역 17년을 선고해달라고 재판부에 요청했다.; 이후 A씨는 항소했다가 이를 취하했으며, 검사는 양형부당을 이유로 항소했다.; B씨에 대한 항소심 심리가 마무리되면 A씨와 함께 선고가 이뤄진다.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors appealed on sentencing grounds, and at the appeal hearing on 22 October 2026 asked for 17 years for the husband, who had withdrawn his own appeal; judgment will follow the wife's appeal hearing.","causal_attribution":"Single outlet's report of the appeal hearing."}],"effects":[{"label":"about 10.1 billion won lost to romance-and-investment scams that used deepfake videos of a fictitious investment expert","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/1245018.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read in Korean on 2026-10-31; translated by the research agent (an AI). The Hankyoreh, 13 February 2026, reporting the Ministry of Justice announcement of the indictment; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"korea-prosecutors-indictment-feb-2026"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260724066400057","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read in Korean on 2026-10-31; translated by the research agent (an AI). Yonhap News (Ulsan), 24 July 2026, report of the first-instance judgment; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"ulsan-district-court-judgment-jul-2026"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/area/yeongnam/1269790.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read in Korean on 2026-10-31; translated by the research agent (an AI). The Hankyoreh (Yeongnam), 24 July 2026, report of the same judgment; HTTP 200. Same court origin as s2.","independence_group":"ulsan-district-court-judgment-jul-2026"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.iusm.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=1069518","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ko","translation_note":"Read in Korean on 2026-10-31; translated by the research agent (an AI). Ulsan Maeil, 23 October 2026, report of the 22 October appeal hearing; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"ulsan-appeal-hearing-oct-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","relationships","justice"],"unknowns":["How many of the victims saw the deepfake videos and which deepfake tool was used","How the prosecutors established that the videos were deepfakes","The outcome of the prosecutors' appeal and of the wife's appeal","Whether any of the losses have been recovered"],"geography":{"basis":"Event: the prosecutors say the fraud groups operated from the Borei area of Cambodia (s1, s2) and targeted Koreans, with victims counted as domestic victims in South Korea (s1); affected people: the indictment counts them as domestic (국내) victims (s1). Court: Ulsan District Court and the appeal bench in Ulsan (s2, s4).","court_countries":["KR"],"event_countries":["KH","KR"],"affected_person_countries":["KR"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a reported criminal case: prosecutors say the husband used deepfake technology to make videos of himself posing as an investment expert in a romance-and-investment fraud that took about 10.1 billion won from 97 victims, both defendants admitted the charges, and the Ulsan District Court imposed prison sentences; an appeal is pending.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-31"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Prosecutors, who investigated and indicted the couple, say the husband used deepfake technology to film YouTube videos in which he posed as an investment expert in order to draw investments from victims (s1); the charges of using deepfakes in the romance-investment scheme were admitted by both defendants and led to conviction (s2), and reports of the judgment describe a virtual person made with deepfake technology fronting the scheme (s3). The deepfake videos are the medium through which victims received the fake expert's investment pitch. The technical basis for the deepfake finding is not disclosed, and how many victims saw the videos is not reported.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Ulsan court jails Korean couple who ran a Cambodia-based romance and investment fraud using deepfake videos of a fake investment expert","summary":"South Korean prosecutors indicted a married couple in February 2026 on charges that, from January 2024 to January 2025, they ran phone-fraud groups in Cambodia that targeted Koreans with romance-and-investment scams; according to the prosecutors, the husband used deepfake technology to make YouTube videos in which he posed as an investment expert, while the wife built relationships with victims in private chats, and 97 victims lost about 10.1 billion won. Both admitted the charges, and on 24 July 2026 the Ulsan District Court sentenced the husband to 15 years and the wife to 9 years in prison, noting that the victims described severe harm while the defendants had made no effort to compensate them. Prosecutors appealed; at the appeal hearing on 22 October 2026 they asked for 17 years for the husband, and a joint appeal judgment is pending.","incidentDate":"2024-01-01","incidentEndDate":"2025-01-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-02-13","aiSystem":"Deepfake technology used to make YouTube videos of a fictitious investment expert played by one defendant, as described by prosecutors (tool not named)","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the prosecutors, 97 victims in South Korea lost about 10.1 billion won to romance-and-investment scams in which deepfake videos presented a fictitious investment expert; the court said the victims described severe harm and had received no compensation.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":97,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"The prosecutors' indictment, as reported by The Hankyoreh, counts 97 domestic victims ('국내 피해자 97명'); reports of the judgment say about 100 ('100여명'). 97 is recorded as a documented minimum because the reports give no breakdown of how many victims saw the deepfake videos and the sentencing reports round upward.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"KR","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/1245018.html","primarySourceLabel":"The Hankyoreh, 13 February 2026: Couple behind 10.1 billion won romance scam indicted after evading investigators by changing their faces","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-31T03:13:00.990788+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-31T03:13:00.990788+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake-video","romance-scam","investment-fraud","cambodia-scam-centre","criminal-conviction","appeal-pending","south-korea"]},{"id":"2024-taiwan-police-say-taichung-call-centre-used-ai-face-swap-video-calls-in-romance-investment-fraud-of-women-in-us-and-canada","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"於113年11月執行第一波拘搜行動，攻堅位於沙鹿區的詐欺話務機房 ... 機房成員一見警方攻堅，立即將部分工作手機丟入事先準備好的硫酸桶內試圖滅證。","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"In November 2024 a police task force under Taichung prosecutors raided a fraud call centre in Shalu district, Taichung; members threw work phones into a bucket of sulphuric acid to destroy evidence.","causal_attribution":"Police account as reported; one origin."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"該話務機房先設定「各類人設」與美加地區女性華僑培養感情 ... 嫌犯利用「AI人臉替換工具」變臉軟體與被害人視訊，由於畫面相當逼真，不少被害人信以為真，嫌犯取得信任後，再以各種話術誘使被害人投資。 ... 員警示範嫌犯使用的「AI人臉替換工具」，只要套上圖庫立即變臉，視訊畫面相當逼真。","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Police say the call centre set up personas to build relationships with overseas Chinese women in the US and Canada and used an AI face-replacement tool to change faces in video calls with them; because the picture was very realistic many believed it, and the suspects then induced them to invest. Officers demonstrated the tool.","causal_attribution":"The AI attribution is the investigating police's, who say the suspects used the tool and demonstrated it; the tool is not named."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"誘使被害人投資各種假能源標的，匯款到嫌犯提供的帳戶","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Police say the victims were induced to invest in fake energy products and to send money to accounts the suspects provided.","causal_attribution":"Police account as reported."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"檢警分析手機資料後發現有7名美加地區的女性華僑遭到詐騙，透過國際科向美加2國協查，查出目前財損約新台幣350萬元，受害人與金額持續統計清查中。","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Police say analysis of the seized phones found seven women in the US and Canada who had been defrauded, with losses identified so far of about NT$3.5 million, and that victims and amounts were still being compiled.","causal_attribution":"Police figures from the phone analysis and US/Canada inquiries; a lower bound by their own account."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"等9嫌移送台中地檢署偵辦，其中7嫌裁定羈押。 ... 114年3月查獲負責製作及架設假投資網站前後端平臺","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Nine suspects were referred to Taichung prosecutors and seven were ordered detained; two suspects responsible for building and designing the fake investment website were found in March 2025.","causal_attribution":"Police account of the procedural steps as reported."}],"effects":[{"label":"women in the US and Canada deceived through face-swapped video calls and fake investments; about NT$3.5 million lost by seven women identified so far","claim_id":"c4","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://tw.news.yahoo.com/ai%E6%B7%B1%E5%81%BD-1%E7%A7%92%E8%AE%8A%E7%94%B7%E6%98%9F-%E6%84%9B%E6%83%85%E8%A9%90%E9%A8%99%E7%BE%8E%E5%8A%A0%E5%A5%B3%E8%8F%AF%E5%83%91350%E8%90%AC-%E5%9C%96%E5%BA%AB%E9%A9%9A%E8%A6%8B%E9%98%AE%E7%B6%93%E5%A4%A9-%E7%8E%8B%E9%99%BD%E6%98%8E-035400182.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh-TW","translation_note":"Read in Chinese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-28 and again on 2026-10-29; English renderings are the agent's own translation. SETN (Sanlih) report published on Yahoo News Taiwan on 4 Jun 2025, based on the police and Criminal Investigation Bureau account; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"taiwan-cib-shalu-call-centre-police-account-jun-2025"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","relationships"],"unknowns":["Which face-swap tool was used.","When the frauds took place; the source gives only the November 2024 raid and the 2025 arrests.","How much each woman lost and how many of the video calls used the face swap.","Whether the suspects were indicted or convicted, and whether any money was recovered."],"geography":{"basis":"Police say the call centre that ran the video calls operated in Shalu district, Taichung, so TW is recorded as the event country. The victims are described as overseas Chinese women in the US and Canada, and police made inquiries with the two countries, so US and CA are recorded as affected-person countries. No court has ruled; Taichung prosecutors are investigating.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["TW"],"affected_person_countries":["US","CA"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (communicated_with): the investigating police say a fraud call centre spoke to women in the US and Canada through video calls in which an AI face-replacement tool showed them a persona's face, and used the trust this won to take their money in fake investments. The AI attribution rests on the police account, including their demonstration of the tool; the record rests on one police account carried by one outlet.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Taiwanese police, who seized the call centre's phones, say the suspects used an AI face-replacement tool during video calls so that the women saw a persona's face, that the realistic picture made many victims believe the persona was real, and that the suspects used the trust gained to induce the investments; a photo caption in the report says officers demonstrated the tool. The tool is not named and the source does not say how many calls used it.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with"]},"name":"Taiwan police say a Taichung fraud call centre used an AI face-swap tool in video calls to win the trust of women in the US and Canada","summary":"Taiwanese police said in June 2025 that a fraud call centre in Shalu district, Taichung, had targeted overseas Chinese women in the United States and Canada with romance-investment fraud. According to the police account reported by SETN and carried by Yahoo News Taiwan on 4 June 2025, the call centre created a range of male personas, cultivated relationships with the women, and video-chatted with them through an 'AI face replacement tool' that swapped the operator's face for a persona's; because the picture was very realistic, police say, many victims believed it, after which they were talked into investing in fake energy products and sending money to accounts the suspects supplied. Police say analysis of seized phones identified seven women in the US and Canada who were defrauded, with losses of about NT$3.5 million so far, and that the number of victims and the amount were still being compiled. A photo caption in the report says officers demonstrated the face-replacement tool. The call centre was raided in November 2024, and nine suspects were referred to Taichung prosecutors, seven of them detained; no indictment or verdict has been found.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2025-06-04","aiSystem":"An 'AI face replacement tool' (face-swap software) that the call centre used in live video calls to show victims a persona's face; tool not named","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Taiwanese police say a Taichung call centre won the trust of overseas Chinese women in the US and Canada through video calls in which an AI tool swapped the operators' faces for personas', then talked them into fake energy investments; seven women identified so far lost about NT$3.5 million in total.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":7,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Police say analysis of seized phones found seven women in the US and Canada who were defrauded, and that the number of victims was still being compiled, so seven is a lower bound. The source does not say how many of them took part in face-swapped video calls.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"TW","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://tw.news.yahoo.com/ai%E6%B7%B1%E5%81%BD-1%E7%A7%92%E8%AE%8A%E7%94%B7%E6%98%9F-%E6%84%9B%E6%83%85%E8%A9%90%E9%A8%99%E7%BE%8E%E5%8A%A0%E5%A5%B3%E8%8F%AF%E5%83%91350%E8%90%AC-%E5%9C%96%E5%BA%AB%E9%A9%9A%E8%A6%8B%E9%98%AE%E7%B6%93%E5%A4%A9-%E7%8E%8B%E9%99%BD%E6%98%8E-035400182.html","primarySourceLabel":"Yahoo News Taiwan (SETN), 4 Jun 2025: AI deepfake romance fraud took NT$3.5 million from overseas Chinese women in US and Canada","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-29T03:11:07.29356+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-29T03:11:07.29356+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-face-swap","deepfake-video-call","romance-fraud","investment-fraud","fraud-call-centre","police-statement","taiwan","communicated-with"]},{"id":"2025-malaysia-based-ring-used-ai-deepfake-face-swap-to-pose-as-japanese-police-in-video-calls-eight-victims-prosecutors-say","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'佯稱被害人手機欠費，需要接受檢警調查，當被害人要求視訊查證時，即由' ... '利用AI變臉技術假冒日警進行視訊，致被害人陷於錯誤，將款項匯入指定金融帳戶'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'佯稱手機欠費並須配合檢警調查，再由本國籍成員操作AI深偽技術，假冒日本警察與被害人進行視訊對談'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Taichung prosecutors say members of a Kuala Lumpur-based ring phoned people in Japan, said their phone bills were unpaid and they had to cooperate with a police and prosecutors' investigation, and when a victim asked for a video check, a member used AI deepfake face-swapping to appear as a Japanese police officer, leading victims to transfer money.","causal_attribution":"The investigating prosecutors' account, relayed by two outlets; one origin."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'不法利得共計日幣1865萬3667元'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'致使8名日籍被害人受騙匯款，金額高達1865萬日圓'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say eight Japanese victims were deceived into transferring about 18.65 million yen (18,653,667 yen in illegal gains).","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' figures; the count is from the Liberty Times relay of the same account."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'利用 ChatGPT 撰寫詐欺腳本，並以 AI Deepfake（深偽） 技術冒充日本警察'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Prosecutors say the ring's fraud scripts were written with ChatGPT.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account as relayed by Minbao."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'馬來西亞警方在現場查扣了日本警察制服及偽造警察徽章' ... '不僅派員赴日取得被害人筆錄，更前往馬來西亞針對扣案電子設備進行數位採證' ... '犯後至今均未賠償被害人損失'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'馬來西亞警方去年8月間在吉隆坡查獲並逮捕10名機房成員'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Malaysian police raided the base and arrested ten members in August 2025, seizing Japanese police uniforms and forged badges; prosecutors took victim statements in Japan, examined seized devices and indicted four defendants, who they say have not compensated the victims.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account of the investigation; the August 2025 date is the Liberty Times relay (published June 2026, 'August last year')."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'大阪府警の警察官を名乗り、東京都内の70代男性とビデオ通話を実施。捜査対象になっていると脅し、現金500万円を騙し取ったとして起訴された。' ... '生成AIを使い、制服姿の人物の顔を警察手帳の写真に即時変換する「リアルタイムディープフェイク（※）」を導入' ... 'グループは2025年6月以降、日本人8人から計約1900万円をだまし取った疑いがあり'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Japanese reporting says members claiming to be Osaka police held a video call with a Tokyo man in his 70s and took 5 million yen, that the group used generative AI to convert a uniformed person's face in real time into the photo on a fake police ID, and that it is suspected of taking about 19 million yen from eight Japanese people since June 2025.","causal_attribution":"PlusWeb3's summary of Japanese reports; the underlying reports and the Japanese authorities' statements were not read."}],"effects":[{"label":"eight people in Japan transferred about 18.65 million yen after video calls with callers shown as Japanese police through AI face-swapping","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.peoplenews.tw/articles/anti-fraud-alert/14492","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh-TW","translation_note":"Read in Chinese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-28; English renderings are the agent's own translation. Minbao report of 29 Jan 2026 relaying the Taichung District Prosecutors Office's account of the indictment; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"taichung-prosecutors-account"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/society/breakingnews/5461268","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"zh-TW","translation_note":"Read in Chinese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-28; English renderings are the agent's own translation. Liberty Times report of 4 Jun 2026 on an award to the prosecutors, restating the prosecutors' account of the case; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"taichung-prosecutors-account"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://plus-web3.com/media/latestnews_1010_7552/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"ja","translation_note":"Read in Japanese by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-28; English renderings are the agent's own translation. PlusWeb3 article of 4 Feb 2026 summarising Japanese reports of 30 Jan 2026 on the Japanese side of the case; the underlying reports were not read; HTTP 200.","independence_group":"japan-reports-30-jan-2026"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","justice"],"unknowns":["Which face-swapping tool was used and how many calls used it.","Whether every one of the eight victims saw a deepfake officer.","The outcome of the Taiwanese indictment and of the Japanese charges.","Whether the Japanese-side reports summarised by PlusWeb3 concern exactly the same set of victims as the Taiwanese indictment (both give eight)."],"geography":{"basis":"Prosecutors and the Liberty Times say the call centre was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and targeted people in Japan; PlusWeb3 places one victim in Tokyo. Prosecutors describe the victims as Japanese. The indictment was brought by prosecutors in Taiwan; no court ruling is reported, so no court country is recorded.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["MY","JP"],"affected_person_countries":["JP"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): investigating prosecutors say a Malaysia-based ring used AI deepfake face-swapping in video calls to impersonate Japanese police toward people it had phoned, and eight victims transferred about 18.65 million yen. The attribution rests on the prosecutors' indictment account and is described separately in Japanese reporting; no verdict is reported.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-28"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Taichung District Prosecutors Office, which took victim statements in Japan and examined devices seized in Malaysia, says a ring member used AI deepfake face-swapping in video calls to appear as a Japanese police officer when victims asked to verify the call, and that victims then transferred money. Japanese reporting relayed by PlusWeb3 separately describes the group's real-time AI face replacement in video calls. The prosecutors' technical findings beyond this description are not disclosed and the tool is not identified.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Prosecutors say Malaysia-based ring used AI face-swapping to pose as Japanese police in video calls; eight victims lost about 18.65 million yen","summary":"Taiwan's Taichung District Prosecutors Office said in January 2026 that it had indicted members of a fraud ring that operated from a base in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 2025. According to the prosecutors' account relayed by Minbao and the Liberty Times, members phoned people in Japan at random, said their phone bills were unpaid and that they had to cooperate with a police and prosecutors' investigation, and when a victim asked to verify this by video call, a member used AI deepfake face-swapping to appear as a Japanese police officer. Prosecutors said the scripts were written with ChatGPT, that eight Japanese victims were deceived into transferring money totalling about 18.65 million yen, and that the defendants had not compensated them. Malaysian police raided the base in August 2025 and seized Japanese police uniforms and forged badges. Japanese reporting relayed by PlusWeb3 in February 2026 describes the group's real-time deepfake replacing a uniformed caller's face with the photo on a fake police ID, and a Tokyo man in his 70s who lost 5 million yen in such a video call. No verdict is reported in the sources read.","incidentDate":"2025-06-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-01-29","aiSystem":"Real-time AI deepfake face-swapping software used in live video calls to show a caller as a Japanese police officer; tool not identified. Prosecutors also say the fraud scripts were written with ChatGPT.","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Taichung prosecutors say eight people in Japan transferred about 18.65 million yen after members of a Malaysia-based ring, phoning about unpaid bills and an investigation, appeared in video calls as Japanese police officers through AI deepfake face-swapping; Japanese reporting describes a Tokyo man in his 70s who lost 5 million yen this way.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":8,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Eight Japanese victims who transferred money, per the Taichung prosecutors' account (Liberty Times); PlusWeb3's Japanese reporting also gives eight.","victimAgeRange":"unknown","jurisdiction":"TW","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.peoplenews.tw/articles/anti-fraud-alert/14492","primarySourceLabel":"Minbao, 29 Jan 2026: ChatGPT scripts and AI deepfake Japanese police; Taiwanese ring defrauds Japanese victims","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-28T03:09:56.451732+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-28T03:09:56.451732+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake-video-call","police-impersonation","real-time-face-swap","fraud","malaysia","japan","taiwan","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2023-kozhikode-kerala-police-say-deepfake-video-call-of-former-colleague-cost-retired-man-rs-40000-five-arrested","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'According to police, the perpetrator used AI-powered face-swapping technology (deepfake) to impersonate a former colleague of' and 'the ‘former colleague’ (deepfake) to send money for the medical treatment of the latter’s sister.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Kozhikode police said the perpetrator used AI-powered face-swapping technology (deepfake) to impersonate the victim's former colleague during a video call in which the 'former colleague' asked for money for a relative's medical treatment.","causal_attribution":"Police attribution of the impersonation to AI face-swapping, made after their investigation and arrests."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'lost Rs 40,000 soon after receiving a video call from a person claiming to be his former senior colleague and seeking money for an emergency.' and 'the money that the elderly lost on July 9 was traced and the perpetrator’s account was blocked.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The victim lost Rs 40,000 on 9 July 2023 after receiving a video call from a person claiming to be his former senior colleague who sought money for an emergency; cyber police traced the money and blocked the perpetrator's account.","causal_attribution":"The video call is the reported means of the deception."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The police suspect the scammers are using deep fake tech to fake people’s faces and voices.' and 'It may have been created using AI,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In July 2023 the police said they suspected the scammers used deepfake technology to fake faces and voices, and the cyber police station officer said the display picture may have been created using AI.","causal_attribution":"Early, hedged police view, superseded by the June 2024 account."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Kozhikode Police have made history by arresting an entire group involved in creating fake audio and video content to execute financial fraud using artificial intelligence.' and 'The squad successfully apprehended five suspects from their respective hometowns.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Kozhikode police arrested five suspects from several states, describing a group that created fake audio and video content to execute financial fraud using artificial intelligence.","causal_attribution":"Police account of the arrests; no conviction is reported."}],"effects":[{"label":"retired man sent Rs 40,000 after a video call in which a deepfake impersonated a former colleague, according to police","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/crime/kozhikode-squad-arrest-five-in-connection-with-deepfake-fraud-67e25620","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-22 (HTTP 200). Published 22 June 2024; reports the Kozhikode police account of the arrests.","independence_group":"kozhikode-police-arrests-jun-2024"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2023/Jul/17/scammers-use-deep-fake-tech-in-kerala-dupe-retired-union-govt-employee-of-rs-40000-2595588.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-22 (HTTP 200). Published 17 July 2023; reports the victim's account and the cyber police station officer.","independence_group":"new-indian-express-victim-and-cyber-police-jul-2023"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["finance","relationships"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool was used and how the police established face-swapping.","Whether the Rs 40,000 was returned to the victim.","Whether the five suspects were charged or convicted."],"geography":{"basis":"Event: the victim received the calls and made the payment as a resident of Kozhikode, Kerala, and Kozhikode police investigated (New Indian Express; Mathrubhumi). No court proceeding is described.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["IN"],"affected_person_countries":["IN"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated, communicated_with): Kozhikode police, after arresting five suspects, said the caller used AI face-swapping to impersonate the victim's former colleague on the video call that led him to pay Rs 40,000. The police's earlier view was a suspicion, which the record states. The victim and the accused are not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-22"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Kozhikode police, who investigated the complaint and arrested five suspects, said the perpetrator used AI-powered face-swapping technology to impersonate the victim's former colleague on the video call that preceded the payment (Mathrubhumi, June 2024). The faked colleague appeared to the victim and asked for money (depicted_or_impersonated, communicated_with). In July 2023 the police had described deepfake use only as a suspicion; the 2024 account does not disclose the technical basis or the tool.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with","depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Kozhikode, Kerala: police say a deepfake video call imitating a former colleague cost a retired man Rs 40,000; five later arrested","summary":"A retired Union (central) government employee in Kozhikode, Kerala, sent Rs 40,000 on 9 July 2023 after a WhatsApp video call and voice call from someone who looked like a former senior colleague and asked for money for a relative's surgery, the New Indian Express reported; Kerala cyber police traced the money and blocked the recipient account. In June 2024 Kozhikode police said the perpetrator had used AI-powered face-swapping technology to impersonate the former colleague on the video call, and that they had arrested five suspects from several states, according to Mathrubhumi.","incidentDate":"2023-07-09","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2023-07-17","aiSystem":"AI face-swapping (deepfake) used in a WhatsApp video call to impersonate the victim's former colleague, according to Kozhikode police (tool not identified)","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the New Indian Express, a retired man in Kozhikode sent Rs 40,000 after a video call from someone who looked like a former colleague; police later said the caller used AI face-swapping to impersonate the colleague.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"outward","causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the retired man who sent Rs 40,000 (New Indian Express; Mathrubhumi). Friends who received similar messages are not counted; no loss by them is reported.","victimAgeRange":"elderly","jurisdiction":"IN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/crime/kozhikode-squad-arrest-five-in-connection-with-deepfake-fraud-67e25620","primarySourceLabel":"Mathrubhumi English, 22 June 2024: AI-driven 'Deepfake' fraud: Kozhikode Police nab all 5 accused from multiple states","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-22T03:21:42.546478+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-22T03:21:42.546478+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake-video-call","impersonation","whatsapp","older-adult","kerala","police-arrests","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2024-hong-kong-police-say-arup-finance-worker-sent-hk200-million-after-video-call-with-deepfake-cfo-and-colleagues","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The elaborate scam saw the worker duped into attending a video call with what he thought were several other members of staff, but all of whom were in fact deepfake recreations, Hong Kong police said at a briefing on Friday.' and 'Believing everyone else on the call was real, the worker agreed to remit a total of $200 million Hong Kong dollars – about $25.6 million, the police officer added.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Hong Kong police said a finance worker at a multinational firm was duped into attending a video call with what appeared to be several members of staff, all of whom were deepfake recreations, and then remitted a total of HK$200 million (about US$25.6 million).","causal_attribution":"Attributed to Hong Kong police; the deepfake call is the reported means by which the worker was induced to pay."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Initially, the worker suspected it was a phishing email, as it talked of the need for a secret transaction to be carried out.' and 'However, the worker put aside his early doubts after the video call because other people in attendance had looked and sounded just like colleagues he recognized, Chan said.' and 'The scam involving the fake CFO was only discovered when the employee later checked with the corporation’s head office.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to the police, the worker first suspected a phishing email purportedly from the company's UK-based chief financial officer but set aside those doubts after the video call because the other participants looked and sounded like colleagues the worker recognised; the fraud was discovered when the employee later checked with head office.","causal_attribution":"Police account of how the faked participants overcame the worker's doubts."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A spokesperson for London-based Arup told CNN on Friday that it notified Hong Kong police in January about the fraud incident, and confirmed that fake voices and images were used.' and 'However, we can confirm that fake voices and images were used,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'confirming that at the beginning of the year it had “notified the police about an incident of fraud in Hong Kong”. It confirmed that fake voices and images were used.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Arup confirmed in May 2024 that it was the company involved, that it had notified Hong Kong police about the fraud at the start of 2024 (in January, according to CNN), and that fake voices and images were used; it said the incident was still under investigation.","causal_attribution":"The company's own confirmation that faked voices and images were used in the fraud."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'posing as senior officers of the company requesting to transfer money to designated bank accounts' and 'the employee then transferred a total of HK$200m to five local bank accounts via 15 transactions.' and 'It said no arrests had been made so far but the investigation was ongoing'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"A Hong Kong police statement quoted by the Guardian said the employee was deceived of some HK$200 million after receiving video conference calls from someone posing as senior officers of the company, and the Guardian reports that Chan said the money went to five local bank accounts in 15 transactions; the statement said no arrests had been made so far and the investigation was ongoing.","causal_attribution":"Police account of the transfers."}],"effects":[{"label":"company lost HK$200 million after its finance worker was deceived by a deepfake video call, according to police","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/04/asia/deepfake-cfo-scam-hong-kong-intl-hnk/index.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-22 (HTTP 200). CNN report of the Hong Kong police press briefing, published 4 February 2024.","independence_group":"hong-kong-police-briefing-feb-2024"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/16/tech/arup-deepfake-scam-loss-hong-kong-intl-hnk/index.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-22 (HTTP 200). CNN report of Arup's emailed statement, published 17 May 2024; it also recaps the police account.","independence_group":"arup-statement-may-2024"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/may/17/uk-engineering-arup-deepfake-scam-hong-kong-ai-video","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-22 (HTTP 200). Guardian report of Arup's statement and a Hong Kong police statement, published 17 May 2024.","independence_group":"arup-statement-may-2024"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","finance"],"unknowns":["Which AI tool was used and how the police established that the call participants were deepfakes.","The dates of the call and the transfers; the sources date only the report to police (January 2024).","Whether anyone has been arrested or charged for this fraud since May 2024, when police said no arrests had been made, and whether any money was recovered.","Whether the worker faced any personal consequence."],"geography":{"basis":"Event: the fraud was reported to and investigated by Hong Kong police, and the deceived worker was an employee in Hong Kong (CNN; Guardian). The company is London-based, which does not locate the event. No court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["HK"],"affected_person_countries":["HK"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated, communicated_with): Hong Kong police said the colleagues on the video call that led a finance worker to remit HK$200 million were deepfake recreations, and Arup confirmed that fake voices and images were used. The technical basis is not disclosed. The worker is not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-22"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Hong Kong police, investigating the fraud, said the other participants in the video call that persuaded the finance worker to remit HK$200 million were deepfake recreations of company staff, including the chief financial officer (CNN, February 2024). Arup, the company that reported the fraud to police, separately confirmed that fake voices and images were used (CNN and the Guardian, May 2024). The faked participants impersonated colleagues toward the worker and gave the instructions on the call (depicted_or_impersonated, communicated_with). Neither the police nor Arup identifies the tool or discloses the technical basis for calling the recreations deepfakes.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["communicated_with","depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Hong Kong: police say an Arup finance worker sent HK$200 million after a video call with deepfake CFO and colleagues; firm confirms fake voices and images","summary":"Hong Kong police said at a press briefing reported by CNN on 4 February 2024 that a finance worker at a multinational firm had been duped into attending a video call with what appeared to be the company's UK-based chief financial officer and other staff, all of whom were deepfake recreations, and had then remitted a total of HK$200 million (about US$25.6 million). In May 2024 the British engineering firm Arup confirmed to CNN and the Guardian that it was the company involved, that it had notified Hong Kong police in January 2024, and that fake voices and images were used. The worker was not named.","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2024-02-04","aiSystem":"Deepfake video and voice recreations of the company's chief financial officer and other staff presented in a video conference call (tool not identified)","aiProduct":"Unidentified video tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["financial_loss"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to Hong Kong police, a finance worker deceived by a video call with deepfake recreations of the firm's CFO and colleagues remitted HK$200 million to fraudsters; Arup confirmed it was the company and that fake voices and images were used.","frameworkFacets":[],"pathwayDirection":"outward","causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The loss fell on the company. The sources describe the finance worker as the person deceived but report no personal loss or other consequence for the worker, so no person count is given (zero placeholders).","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"HK","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/04/asia/deepfake-cfo-scam-hong-kong-intl-hnk/index.html","primarySourceLabel":"CNN, 4 February 2024: Finance worker pays out $25 million after video call with deepfake 'chief financial officer'","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-22T03:10:49.091739+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-22T03:10:49.091739+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfake-video-call","executive-impersonation","business-fraud","hong-kong","police-statement","depicted-or-impersonated"]}]}