New service against telephone fraud targeting elderly — deepfake "prince" in Patras
Approximately 30 telephone frauds are reported daily to the Greek Police. Fraudsters used deepfake video of Paul de Grèce to extract €350 from a victim.
New specialist service for fraud against elderly being prepared by Police
Approximately 30 telephone frauds are reported every day to the Greek Police, with elderly citizens as the main victims, according to information revealed by In.gr. The advancement of Artificial Intelligence has provided fraudsters with new tools, including deepfake videos, which make scams more persuasive.
Police journalist for the newspaper "TA NEA", Vassilis Lampropoulos, reveals that Katsika's planning provides for targeted information in areas where incidents are increasing. In parallel, the creation of a specialist service within the so-called Greek FBI is being examined — with involvement of police officers from burglary, cybercrime and other services — with the aim of mapping and dismantling related criminal networks.
The ministry of Protection of the Citizen's leadership has already stated its intention for telephone frauds to be classified as felonies, with increased penalties for those targeting the elderly.
Deepfake "prince" attempted to extract €350
A recent incident in Patras is a characteristic example of the new method. Following the viral video of Cristiano Ronaldo speaking Greek, fraudsters used similar technology to impersonate the son of the former king, Paul de Grèce.
"Mrs Viví, I will connect you with Prince Paul," they initially told the prospective victim. Subsequently, an alleged "Paul" announced to her that he had chosen to donate €26,000 to each one of the lucky people he had selected.
The prerequisite for the bank account to be "activated" was a deposit of €350 on the part of the woman. To convince her, the perpetrators conducted a video call, during which they displayed a photograph of Paul de Grèce with his mouth moving — a product of Artificial Intelligence.
"I could see him moving normally. I said 'but I can't hear you' and the alleged Paul immediately calls me, telling me 'you know, I'm far away and we don't have a good connection, that's why I called you to convince you that it's me'," the victim stated to MEGA.
The attempt ultimately proved unsuccessful, however the case highlights the level of advanced technology that fraud networks now use in Greece.
Source: In.gr