Long-con scams use deepfakes to sustain extended social engineering relationships, including romance scams, pig-butchering investment fraud, and business relationship attacks. The deepfake provides the authenticity signal that keeps the target engaged for weeks or months.

• Initial contact happens through dating apps, social media, or business networking platforms
• The attacker introduces a synthetic identity supported by deepfake video calls and cloned voice
• The relationship builds for weeks, then transitions to a financial ask or investment opportunity

• Romance scams using deepfake video of celebrities or fabricated personas, including a 2024 case where a French victim lost USD $850,000 to a fake "Brad Pitt"
• Pig-butchering schemes pairing crypto investment fraud with deepfake video calls
• Business relationship attacks where a cloned vendor or partner builds trust over months before redirecting payments
• Fake recruiter or job offer scams using synthetic interviewers
• Investor introduction scams using deepfake fund manager video