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AI deepfake romance scam impersonates Dubai prince to defraud victims
Fraudsters are using real-time AI face-swapping technology to impersonate Dubai's crown prince in live video calls. Victims are drawn into extended romantic exchanges before being asked for money. Researchers have linked some operations to organized crime groups in Nigeria.
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Fraudsters are deploying AI deepfake technology to impersonate Dubai's crown prince during live video calls, building romantic relationships with targets before soliciting money. The scheme typically begins on dating sites where the scammer initiates contact using the likeness of Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed, known publicly by the pen name Fazza.
Conversations then shift to messaging apps where the impersonator sends frequent affectionate messages. One victim, a Filipino domestic worker identified only as Maria, described receiving messages even while she slept.
Links to organized crime Researchers have traced some of these operations to crime syndicates based in Nigeria. The syndicates reportedly coordinate multiple accounts and share technical resources to run parallel scams targeting users in different countries.
The case involving Maria illustrates how the combination of accessible deepfake tools and established romance-scam infrastructure has expanded the reach of such fraud. >"He kept on messaging me even when I was sleeping.
