A Filipino domestic worker has fallen victim to an elaborate online romance scam involving an AI-generated deepfake impersonating Dubai’s Crown Prince, highlighting growing concerns over the misuse of artificial intelligence in fraud schemes.
The woman, identified only as Maria, believed she was in a relationship with Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, also known as Fazza, after meeting the supposed royal on a dating platform before their conversations shifted to messaging apps where she was flooded with affectionate messages and late-night chats.
She said the scammer maintained constant contact, even during her sleep, creating what she described as an emotional attachment that made her believe the relationship was genuine and deeply personal.
In one video call shared with AFP, the impersonated figure appeared realistic on screen, with lip movements synchronised to speech, although the voice did not match that of the real-life royal, further masking the deception.
Maria eventually transferred around 100,000 pesos (US$1,625) after being told the money was needed for a marriage certificate and a “royal membership card” that would supposedly help her secure employment opportunities in Dubai.
Suspicion arose when she was later asked for an additional 60,000 pesos for hotel arrangements, prompting her to investigate the profile, which she discovered was linked to accounts traced back to Nigeria before she ended the communication.
The incident forms part of a wider wave of so-called “fake Dubai prince” scams, where fraudsters exploit the identity and popularity of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, using manipulated images and fabricated conversations to lure victims into emotional and financial traps.
Authorities and researchers warn that such scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with AI-powered tools now capable of producing highly realistic face-swapping and live video impersonations that blur the line between reality and deception.
Experts also caution that as technology advances, detecting real-time deepfakes may become increasingly difficult, raising serious concerns about the future of online trust and the growing scale of global romance fraud.
