Woman Loses Year's Savings to AI Romance Scam Featuring Deepfake Dubai Prince Video Calls

AI romance scam impersonating Dubai prince ensnares victims

Washington (United States) (AFP) - Maria believed she was romancing a prince from Dubai, captivated by his flirtatious smile and declarations of affection he showered on her during live video calls. But the suitor was an AI deepfake, making her yet another victim of an online romance scam. The case illustrates how fraudsters posing as the real-life crown prince of Dubai ensnare victims by cultivating online relationships before swindling them out of money, with researchers tracing some of the scams to crime syndicates in Nigeria. Maria met the scammer impersonating Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed, also known by his pen name Fazza, on a dating site before the conversation moved to a messaging app where he bombarded her with romantic messages. "He kept on messaging me even when I was sleeping," the Filipino domestic worker told AFP, requesting that her real name and age be withheld. "It felt like there was a love spell that connected our minds." In one recording of a WhatsApp video call seen by AFP, the scammer, appearing lifelike as the prince, flickered on the screen. His words matched his lip movements, but not the prince's voice. "Hello beloved," the voice told Maria. "I really appreciate your love and support." Maria, who was initially too lovelorn to suspect fraud, lost a year's worth of savings. The scammer manipulated her into paying 100,000 pesos ($1,625) for what he claimed were a marriage certificate and a "royal membership card," which he said would help her secure a job in Dubai. Her suspicion arose when he proposed meeting her at a hotel and demanded another 60,000 pesos ($974) for the booking. When she scrutinized his Facebook page, which has since been taken down, she noticed the account was based in Nigeria. She cut off communication, sending one final message: "Go to hell, scammer." "Many people told me it's good I didn't go crazy after this experience," Maria said. Blowing-kiss emojis The fraud is part of a broader ecosystem of what have become known as "fake Dubai prince" scams targeting both hearts and wallets. Scammers exploit the Emirati royal's likeness by drawing on his vast online presence, including his more than 17 million Instagram followers, and sometimes even copying the prince's authentic poems to deceive victims. AFP identified multiple Facebook groups impersonating the royal, some with thousands of followers, inviting users to WhatsApp or Telegram chats with the "prince." The groups post manipulated but lifelike images, including one depicting the prince on one knee and holding a ring, and another showing him offering a red rose alongside the caption: "Sweetheart can I get a 'love you' on WhatsApp?" While some users warned in the comments that the posts are scams, many others responded with hearts and blowing-kiss emojis. As the fraud spreads, awareness groups have sprung up to alert users, including one on Instagram called "Do not fall for fake prince." A change.org petition titled "Stop Fazza Scam" called on Sheikh Hamdan's staff to raise awareness against scammers impersonating the royal using Dubai phone numbers and "requesting large sums of money, either as donations or marriage certificates, all of which are forged." "Significant payments are requested in banks in countries other than those of victims, sometimes even in crypto currencies, making it harder to trace," the petition said. 'Technology is improving' Dubai authorities did not respond to AFP's request for comment. He is far from the only public figure whose identity has been exploited by scammers. Last year, French authorities launched a probe to identify fraudsters posing as Brad Pitt who scammed a woman out of 830,000 euros ($945,000). The Global Anti-Scam Alliance estimates that consumers worldwide lost $442 billion to scams, including romance fraud, last year. It was unclear which AI tools were used to generate the real-time video chats with Maria. The internet is awash with AI-powered face-swapping technology and a new generation of motion-control tools capable of producing highly realistic videos, allowing users to precisely manipulate a person's movements and facial expressions in real time. 'The technology is improving rapidly, and it is likely that soon real-time video deepfakes will become better and better," Cornell University's David Rand told AFP. "Once this happens, it becomes fundamentally impossible to tell whether any not-in-person conversation is real."

Woman loses savings to AI-powered romance scam featuring intimate video calls with deepfake 'Dubai prince'

A Filipino woman thought she had found love with Dubai's charismatic crown prince after weeks of flirtatious messages and intimate video calls. Instead, she became the latest victim of an increasingly sophisticated AI-powered romance scam that uses deepfake technology to impersonate Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the heir to Dubai's throne, according to AFP. The woman, a domestic worker identified only as Maria, said she met a scammer posing as the prince on a dating site before their conversations shifted to WhatsApp, where he flooded her with affectionate messages. "He kept on messaging me even when I was sleeping," the victim told AFP. "It felt like there was a love spell that connected our minds." The deception reportedly became even more convincing during video calls. In one recording viewed by AFP, an image appeared on screen that looked like the real prince. His lips moved in sync with his words, though the voice did not match the real Sheikh Hamdan's. "Hello, beloved," the caller said. "I really appreciate your love and support." Maria said she initially had no reason to suspect she was being conned. By the time doubts surfaced, she had already lost 100,000 Philippine pesos -- or about $1,625 -- after the scammer persuaded her to pay for what he claimed were a marriage certificate and a "royal membership card" that would supposedly help her secure a job in Dubai. The amount came to a year's worth of Maria's savings. The fraudster later asked for another 60,000 pesos, or about $974, to reserve a hotel room where they would finally meet. That request prompted Maria to look more closely at the Facebook account connected to the supposed prince charming. She discovered the account, which has since been removed, was based in Nigeria. She immediately cut off contact. "Go to hell, scammer," she wrote in her final message. "Many people told me it's good I didn't go crazy after this experience," Maria told AFP. Researchers cited by the wire service traced some of the schemes to criminal syndicates operating in Nigeria, where fraudsters have increasingly embraced artificial intelligence to make online impersonation scams more convincing. The cons are part of a broader wave of "fake Dubai prince" frauds targeting people seeking romance online. Scammers exploit Sheikh Hamdan's enormous social media following -- more than 17 million Instagram followers -- while ripping off his image, identity and even authentic poems to convince victims they are communicating with the real royal. AFP identified multiple Facebook groups pretending to represent the prince, some of which have drawn thousands of followers. The pages encouraged users to continue conversations through WhatsApp or Telegram and featured manipulated but highly realistic images. One showed the prince kneeling with a ring, while another depicted him holding a red rose alongside the caption: "Sweetheart can I get a 'love you' on WhatsApp?" Although some commenters warned that the accounts were fraudulent, many others responded with hearts and kiss-blowing emojis. Dubai authorities could not immediately be reached for comment. Todd Spodek, a New York-based federal criminal defense attorney who represents clients in fraud cases, said romance scams often rely on building victims' trust over an extended period before any money changes hands. "They're building these long-term relationships with vulnerable people, building trust, building a rapport," Spodek told The Post. "And then ultimately slowly putting them in a position to freely give money until they could take full advantage of them." Spodek said scammers use what is known as "social engineering" to prey on people experiencing vulnerable moments in their lives. "What they're doing is they're weaponizing specific life situations," he told The Post, citing people coping with divorce, the death of a spouse or other major life changes. He said awareness remains the best defense against increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes. "The first step is education," Spodek told The Post. The expert urged people to be especially wary when an online relationship turns into requests for money or expensive gifts. "Once it gets to the point where someone's asking you if you can send money or gift cards or iPhones or do anything like that, it should trigger a red flag," he told The Post.