A Taiwanese woman in her seventies reportedly believed that singer Fei Yu-ching was asking her for help on social media. She transferred over NT$10 million in eight months before a friend noticed and alerted police, exposing the reported AI scam.
The scammers first created a fake Fei Yu-ching fan group on a social platform. They used AI face-swapping to fabricate videos and photographs of the singer, known as “Little Brother”, even showing him in a wheelchair with a bandaged leg. They claimed he had been injured in a car crash in Japan and urgently needed money for surgery. They subsequently sought further payments for a second operation and sponsorship for an orphanage in Hong Kong.
The woman initially believed them. She exhausted her savings and borrowed another NT$1.75 million from friends and relatives. A friend eventually became suspicious and contacted police.
Fei Yu-ching’s manager then clarified that the singer had never opened any social media accounts and that all accounts contacting fans in his name were impersonators.
The case prompted public concern that scammers were abusing AI face-swapping and synthesis technology, making visual appearances unreliable.
Compiled by this station
