A man in Shanghai was left more than RM100,000 poorer after discovering that the beautiful woman he had fallen in love with online was not real, but an AI-generated identity created by a criminal syndicate.
The victim, identified only as Mr Liu, met a woman named Tingting while scrolling through short videos. After exchanging messages for some time, their online relationship developed into a romance, with both eventually discussing marriage.
Tingting told Liu that she was an orphan raised by her aunt and claimed she was looking for a partner who shared her values and wanted to settle down.
Despite supposedly having a busy and exhausting job, she made time every day to check on Liu and maintain their relationship.
About a month into their romance, Tingting claimed her aunt had been diagnosed with a brain tumour and urgently needed money for treatment.
To convince Liu that her story was genuine, she sent him what appeared to be a hospital diagnosis report and a photograph of her identity card.
Liu transferred 40,000 yuan (approximately RM23,000) to her that same day.
Over the following two weeks, Tingting repeatedly claimed that her aunt’s condition was deteriorating and requested more financial assistance. Liu continued sending money, eventually transferring more than 180,000 yuan (approximately RM103,000).
According to Lu Chao, a procurator assistant at the Shanghai Minhang District People’s Procuratorate, Liu even took out small loans after running out of money.
He eventually became suspicious when Tingting refused to have a live video call and only provided him with a hospital address when he asked where her aunt was receiving treatment.
Realising something was wrong, Liu reported the matter to the police.
15 victims across China, syndicate exposed
Investigations by Shanghai’s Minhang police revealed that Liu was not the only victim. The authorities discovered that people across China had fallen for the same scam.
Following an investigation, police launched coordinated raids in Guangdong, Shandong and Guizhou, arresting several suspects identified as Yang A, Yang B, Yang Tingting, Zhong and Cui.
Investigators found that the syndicate led by Yang A had defrauded 15 victims nationwide of more than 1.8 million yuan (approximately RM1.03 million).
Authorities also uncovered how the group used carefully planned conversations and AI-manipulated photographs to build emotional connections with potential victims before asking for money.
The syndicate employed dedicated online operators, known as chat handlers, who followed a scripted seven-day conversation plan. They sent AI-enhanced photographs of everyday activities and meals to make their online identities appear more convincing.
The handlers were also given specific instructions on how to communicate naturally, including complaining about overtime work and avoiding simply copying and pasting prepared messages.
Once a victim became emotionally attached, the scam would move to its next stage.
The woman would claim that she had been harassed by her employer and planned to resign to open her own business. She would then ask the victim, supposedly her boyfriend, to pay for a flower basket to celebrate the opening.
Although the flower basket usually cost only a few hundred yuan, it played an important role in identifying potential targets.
Prosecutor Yu Qianqian from the Shanghai Minhang District People’s Procuratorate explained that the small purchase was used to assess whether a victim was willing to spend money on the woman.
Those who agreed would be marked as potential targets and passed on for further manipulation. Those who refused to buy flowers or small gifts were labelled as unsuitable and removed from the handlers’ contact lists.
Fake medical documents used to demand bigger payments
Victims who passed the initial screening would then be handed over to the syndicate’s organisers, Yang A or its main chat handler, Yang Tingting.
The scam would subsequently enter its emotional manipulation stage, with the fake girlfriend claiming that a family member was seriously ill and needed urgent medical treatment.
The syndicate went as far as producing fake hospital diagnosis reports, identity cards and photographs showing the supposed aunt lying in a hospital bed.
Investigators found that Yang A had hired Zhong, who lived in Shandong, to fabricate the documents.
Lu said producing a fake identity card cost just 25 yuan, while editing other photographs cost around 10 yuan per image.
Prosecutor Yu explained that the fabricated evidence made victims believe their online partners were genuinely facing a family emergency, prompting them to provide large sums of money out of sympathy and a sense of responsibility.
After securing the first major transfer, the scammers would continue demanding money, citing reasons such as the need for specialised medication.
The requests continued until victims could no longer afford to pay.
In this case, the highest amount lost by a single victim exceeded 380,000 yuan (approximately RM217,000).
The syndicate members were eventually convicted of various offences and received prison sentences of up to 11 years, alongside fines.
