Vietnamese authorities warn of rising AI-driven deepfake extortion rackets

Cybercriminals in Vietnam are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to orchestrate highly sophisticated scams, authorities have warned, marking a sharp evolution from traditional fraud tactics. Deputy director of the Hanoi police department's criminal police division Ly Hoai Nam said while scams once relied on simple impersonation, perpetrators are now employing advanced techniques. "The methods have become far more intricate," Nam said, highlighting how criminals scour social media platforms, photo-sharing sites and even personal data leaks to harvest victims' images. Using deepfake software, fraudsters superimpose victims' faces onto explicit or compromising videos, creating highly realistic fakes.These fabricated products are then used to extort money, with demands for payment in exchange for silence. Khanh warned that deepfake scams are just one facet of a broader threat landscape, citing cases where fraudsters have used stolen biometric data to access bank accounts or create fraudulent identities.