AI Face Swaps Fueling a Surge in Romance Scams
▼ Summary
– The AI app Haotian sells a highly effective face-swapping technology, which is marketed and sold primarily via Telegram and integrates with messaging platforms.
– Researchers and analysis show Haotian is heavily used by “pig butchering” scammers and online fraud operations in Southeast Asia to create deceptive video calls.
– Cryptocurrency analysis reveals Haotian has received at least $3.9 million, with nearly half of its payments linked to a sanctioned scam marketplace.
– The tool is part of a growing tech ecosystem supporting cybercrime in Southeast Asia, with over 10 similar face-swapping tools identified by UN officials.
– Haotian’s main public Telegram channel, used for promotion and support, became inaccessible after WIRED’s inquiry, though Telegram did not confirm taking action.
The rise of sophisticated artificial intelligence tools is creating a new wave of digital deception, with face-swapping applications becoming a powerful weapon for financial criminals. One prominent Chinese-language AI app, Haotian, has reportedly generated millions of dollars by selling its advanced face-swapping technology through platforms like Telegram. This service integrates seamlessly with popular messaging apps such as WhatsApp and WeChat, offering users an alarming degree of control with up to 50 adjustable settings to fine-tune facial features for a convincing impersonation. Investigations reveal that this versatile platform is actively marketed to operators of “pig butchering” scams and other online fraud networks based in Southeast Asia.
These deepfake tools allow scammers to add a devastating layer of credibility to their schemes. Victims who believe they are in a romantic relationship, friendship, or lucrative investment partnership can be tricked into a “video chat” with the persona they’ve been communicating with online. Analysis of cryptocurrency transactions paints a stark financial picture. A review of four digital wallets linked to Haotian by the firm Elliptic indicates the service has received over $3.9 million in recent years, with a significant portion traced to wallets associated with alleged criminal fraud. Elliptic further notes that nearly half of these payments had connections to a scam marketplace sanctioned by U.S. authorities.
According to cybercrime investigator Hieu Minh Ngo of the Vietnamese nonprofit ChongLuaDao, Haotian emerged around 2021 and quickly set a standard. “It was one of the first of its kind and very popular,” Ngo states, based on his extensive research into the app’s operations. He emphasizes the technology’s frightening efficacy, noting, “Its results are nearly perfect. And they are getting better and better every day. If you check the crypto wallet, you will see the money coming in every single day.”
This application is merely a single component within a vast technological ecosystem supporting Southeast Asia’s expansive cybercrime and forced labor scam operations. As video deepfake and face-swapping tools become more accessible, their integration into global fraud campaigns has accelerated. United Nations officials have identified more than ten such tools potentially utilized by cybercriminals in the region for activities ranging from cryptocurrency scams to impersonating law enforcement.
While Haotian maintains a website, its primary hub is a public Telegram channel launched in late 2023, which now boasts over 20,000 subscribers. This channel serves as a platform for marketing new app versions, providing development updates, and offering user support. Although using Telegram for software promotion is not illegal by itself, researchers point out that Haotian’s clientele increasingly consists of scammers who frequent the app to access a range of gray market services. Following inquiries about these activities, the main Haotian Telegram channel and several linked accounts became inaccessible or were deleted, though the platform itself declined to comment on whether it took action against them.
(Source: Wired)
