Изображение: ГУВД Мингорисполкома
A young couple has been detained in Minsk on suspicion of organising a fraud scheme under the guise of providing intimate services. The 21-year-old man and woman used artificial intelligence in their operation.
The man posed as a pimp with a database of women offering intimate services. In reality, the profiles on dating sites were created by his partner, using photos of women taken from social media.
“To make the communication more convincing, the fraudsters used AI to generate video messages — so-called ‘circles’, in which the supposed woman would appear to contact the client. This made the correspondence look credible and gave victims the impression they were communicating with a real person”, the Minsk City Executive Committee’s police department said.
When a “client” agreed to a meeting, they were persuaded to transfer 500 rubles as a deposit for the “safety of the woman”. Additional payments were then requested under various pretexts. The money obtained was transferred abroad using foreign bank cards registered in the name of an acquaintance.
Investigators are aware of more than 60 victims.
“Together with my girlfriend, using anonymous accounts via the Telegram messenger, I offered intimate services on behalf of women. Without intending to provide any services, I stole money from citizens of the Republic of Belarus”, the detained suspect said in a video released by the Interior Ministry.