Romance scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence technology to create fake online identities and conduct sophisticated fraud schemes that have cost Arizona residents over $47 million in 2022-2023.
Romance scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence and new technology to conduct sophisticated fraud schemes targeting people seeking romantic relationships online. The scams involve creating fake online identities using AI-generated images, videos, and text to establish trust with victims before requesting money. According to FBI data, Arizona lost more than $47 million to romance scams in 2022 and 2023, ranking fifth nationally for losses. The scams particularly target seniors and people over 60, though victims as young as 30 are also affected. AI technology enables scammers to create convincing fake personas across multiple platforms and media types including text, image, video, and audio. Specific AI-enabled techniques include deepfake video calls using real-time face swapping technology, particularly by Nigerian crime groups called 'Yahoo Boys', and fake celebrity romance scams using deepfake technology. One victim lost $50,000 to a deepfake version of Elon Musk. The technology allows scammers to duplicate people's identities in ways that weren't possible before, creating very convincing and consistent personas across different platforms. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has prosecuted cases including Donald Franklin Huegel who worked with Nigerian scammers to defraud two older Arizona residents out of $457,000.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to gain a personal advantage over others such as through cheating, fraud, scams, blackmail or targeted manipulation of beliefs or behavior. Examples include AI-facilitated plagiarism for research or education, impersonating a trusted or fake individual for illegitimate financial benefit, or creating humiliating or sexual imagery.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed