A fraudster in China used artificial intelligence technology to change his appearance and impersonate a businessman's friend who managed to snatch more than $600,<> from him, according to local authorities.
The victim, Guo, whose surname was only mentioned by Agence France-Presse, which published the news, explained that he received a video call last April from a person who sounded similar in shape and voice to a relative.
But in reality, the person he was talking to was a fraudster who "used artificial intelligence technology to modify his facial features during a conversation," according to the article published Monday by media affiliated with the Fuzhou (East) authorities.
The fraudster claimed that another friend desperately needed a sum of money and succeeded in persuading Guo to transfer 4.3 million yuan (about $615,<>) from his company's bank account.
The article quoted the businessman as saying, "During the video call, I was sure I knew the face and voice of the person calling me, so I was reassured."
After Guo transferred the money, he sent a letter to his impersonated friend to make sure the money had arrived, and the businessman realized the mistake he made after his friend denied calling him and asking for money, so he called the police, who ordered the bank to stop the transfer, and he was able to recover 3.4 million yuan ($485,5), according to the article.
The identity of the person responsible for the scam has not yet been determined.