Reported WhatsApp scam costs Hong Kong man $1.27 million after criminals allegedly used AI voice notes to impersonate his father
A Hong Kong man reportedly lost HK$10 million (US$1.27 million) in a WhatsApp scam where criminals used AI-generated voice notes to impersonate his father and request urgent money transfers. The victim was convinced by the voice and manner of speech matching his father's.
According to TechRadar, citing the Hong Kong police's Cyberdefender platform and the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong man was reportedly conned out of HK$10 million (US$1.27 million) by scammers. The fraudsters allegedly used artificial intelligence (AI) on WhatsApp to impersonate his father, sending voice messages requesting urgent transfers. The victim reportedly made multiple transfers, depleting his savings, because the "voice and manner of speech [of the message] matched his father's." Police have warned against blindly trusting voice messages, even if they sound similar to a known person, and recommend calling the person back directly to verify.