A Filipino domestic worker has been defrauded of her entire year’s savings after falling victim to a sophisticated romance scam that utilised artificial intelligence-generated deepfake technology. The perpetrator impersonated Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, to manipulate the victim into transferring 100,000 Philippine pesos, approximately USD 1,625.
As per a report by TOI, the victim, identified as Maria, first encountered the scammer on a dating website. The interaction soon moved to WhatsApp, where the fraudster maintained constant communication to build a false sense of intimacy. What Is AI-Based Biometric Scam? Hyderabad Police Issue Urgent Advisory as Cybercriminals Target Facial and Voice Data for Deepfake Identity Theft.
AI Savings Scam: The Mechanics of the Deception
The scam became increasingly convincing through the use of video calls. During these sessions, the perpetrator displayed an AI-generated image that closely resembled the Crown Prince of Dubai, with lip-syncing technology mimicking speech to lend authenticity to the impersonation, even though the voice did not match the prince’s.
The fraudster eventually began requesting funds under the guise of paying for a marriage certificate and a "royal membership card" necessary for securing employment in Dubai. Maria initially complied with these requests without hesitation, driven by the belief that she was engaging with the royal figure.
The deception unravelled when the scammer demanded an additional 60,000 Philippine pesos, roughly USD 974, for hotel reservations. Upon growing suspicious, Maria investigated the Facebook account associated with her contact and discovered that it was registered in Nigeria. She subsequently severed all contact with the individual. CBI Arrests 3 Across 6 States in INR 1.86 Crore ‘Digital Arrest’ Fraud Investigation.
This incident is reportedly part of a broader trend. Researchers have linked such sophisticated impersonation schemes to criminal syndicates operating out of Nigeria, where fraudsters are increasingly leveraging advanced AI tools to conduct more persuasive and difficult-to-detect online scams.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 06, 2026 05:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
