Fraudster gang steals 42 million euros with deceptively genuine promises of love

Hong Kong - Scammers are always coming up with new ways to deceive their victims. Now several members of a gang of fraudsters have been arrested in Asia for using promises of love to empty the pockets of unsuspecting men.

The alleged perpetrators are 21 men and six women who are now being held on criminal charges.

The whole thing was uncovered by a raid on the headquarters of the criminal organization, an industrial building in Hong Kong measuring around 370 square metres.

The criminals used ultra-modern methods to get hold of their victims' money.

It usually started with a text message in which the sender pretended to be an attractive woman and claimed to have entered the wrong number. They then tried to build on the relationship with the victim and promise a romantic relationship with plans for the future.

Deepfake technology was also used. Fake audio or video files were created with the help of artificial intelligence. This made it possible to send deceptively real video messages using a false identity.

Finally, the hopeful men were urged to invest money on a fake platform for cryptocurrencies.

According to the police, several departments within the group were responsible for different phases of the scam .

There was even a manual to teach members how to properly exploit the victim's "sincerity and emotions".

There were various steps involved: First, you were supposed to get to know the victim in order to create a customized persona.

Then, trust was established by talking about one's own difficulties, such as a failed relationship.

The final part involved drawing up joint plans for the future in order to take money from the unwitting victim.

In total, around 42 million euros were taken in the scam, which ran for around a year. More than 100 cell phones, around 24,000 euros in cash and several luxury watches were found during the raid.