Young man convicted for using AI to create deepfake videos and commit bank fraud

A university student in China was sentenced to one year and ten months in prison for using artificial intelligence technology to create deepfake videos of human faces and commit bank fraud. The young man acquired the technology from illegal websites and offered it to criminal groups operating on underground messaging platforms. The criminal operation worked in a coordinated manner: scammers impersonated customer service representatives of video platforms or game streamers to deceive victims into installing malware on their devices. This software captured personal data such as names, identity numbers, phone numbers, and photos. The student received this information and used AI technology to convert the photos into dynamic face videos. The criminal group then reset victims' passwords and transferred funds using the fraudulent videos to pass bank facial recognition verification. The criminal group was highly organized, with different roles: the initial scammers, the creator of deepfakes, and a money laundering team that received the stolen funds. To ensure loyalty, new members entering the group had to deposit a guarantee in cryptocurrency. In less than four months, the operation defrauded accounts of three victims, stealing more than 50,000 yuan. The court considered that the student confessed to the crimes and demonstrated remorse, in addition to compensating the victims, factors that influenced the final sentence.