A person in Northern Ireland was scammed out of £250,000 (approximately €291,000) by what police have described as a "sophisticated" AI-generated investment fraud. It began after the Co Down-based victim responded to an online video featuring a well-known personality from the financial sector. It offered an investment opportunity with "significant" returns. After the victim had invested a relatively modest amount, they were contacted via Whatsapp and encouraged to put in more.

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[–] 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 child)

If they had the money to invest a quarter of a million into something they did not understand, I would not call them victims. Idiots, maybe, but not victims.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago

    Eh, if you have savings, and family you can borrow money from, and a line of credit, then a quarter million is doable.

    People who fall for these scams don't invest only what they can afford to lose, they invest all the funds they can mobilize.

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  • [–] 12 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    Shitty that AI is getting in on the grift now, but this just sounds like a fucking idiot getting fleeced. I have zero sympathy when people get scammed by shit like this.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    I mean it's ultimately a human pulling the strings instructing the ai how to act and what its objective is. Now they just have a new attack vector and easier time adjusting language and potential to target more victims easier...

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  • [–] 7 points 2 months ago

    I fully expect to start hearing about personalised scams, using AI to mimic the voice or even the image (via video call) of people's loved ones, in order to get the mark to send money urgently. Old scam, new tools 😞

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