# A man in Shanghai, China, lost nearly 515-thousand-rand after being tricked into a long-distance relationship with an AI-generated girlfriend. Scammers used generative artificial intelligence software to create realistic video and still images of a young woman. The victim transferred the money to what he believed was his online lover’s bank account, after the scammers convinces him she needed funds to open a business and help a relative with medical bills. The scammers even created a fake ID and medical reports to support the ruse.
Chinese man loses R515 000 after paying money to AI-generated ‘girlfriend’