Shanghai man loses RMB170,000 in AI romance scam
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
A Shanghai man surnamed Liu, who works in engineering contracting, believed he had started a relationship with a post-90s female doctor he met online and who also claimed to control hospital construction projects. Over five months, he was repeatedly refused in-person meetings and video calls, while being asked for money for project “facilitation”, daily expenses, a bride price of RMB300,000 and even a home purchase in Shanghai. After Liu exhausted his savings and grew suspicious, he reported the matter to police, who said the supposed young doctor was in fact a 65-year-old woman with a prior fraud conviction. Investigators said she used AI face-swapping, skin-smoothing and scene-compositing tools to create a polished online identity and had already posted nearly 7,000 short videos under that persona
Key Points
- The suspect, Yu Xiuzhen (于秀珍), allegedly ran social media accounts from 2021, portraying herself as a doctor born in 1992 at a top-tier hospital
- Police said the account published nearly 7,000 attractive daily-life videos and drew tens of thousands of followers before Liu fell for the persona
- Liu had followed the account for years and later entered a relationship, partly because she claimed to hold valuable engineering project resources.
- To avoid exposure, Yu allegedly played both the “doctor” and her “mother”, using multiple accounts to reject meetings and video calls.
- Authorities said the RMB170,000 obtained from Liu was spent on cosmetic treatments, skincare and clothing, and Yu is under criminal coercive measures.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the case is a reminder that AI-enhanced deception can make romance scams look more convincing than older text-only frauds. The reports show that polished short videos, professional identities and even apparent family interactions can be fabricated, making verification before any transfer of money essential.