TOKYO (TR) – Police have arrested a 28-year-old Taiwanese woman accused of acting as a cash mule for an international fraud ring that used generative AI deepfake videos to swindle an elderly woman out of nearly 100 million yen, reports Fuji News Network (June 23).
Looking down to hide her face from news cameras, Yen-Tsen Yeh was taken into custody on suspicion of defrauding a Tokyo woman in her 80s out of 5 million yen in cash — just a fraction of the victim’s massive total losses.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, the scam was triggered by a fake video created using generative AI. The video featured the likeness of prominent Japanese entrepreneur Takafumi Horie, making it appear as though he was personally soliciting investments.
Duped by the sophisticated deepfake, the elderly woman was directed to the messaging app LINE, where she began communicating with the fraud group. The scammers allegedly lured her in with wild financial guarantees, messaging her, “We promise to achieve a 600% profit.”
Believing the pitch, the victim handed over cash on seven separate occasions to Yeh and other collectors. Police estimate the total amount defrauded to be nearly 100 million yen.
During questioning, Yeh downplayed her role in the sophisticated operation. “I accepted after they told me, ‘There is a job you can do while traveling in Japan,’ and offered to pay for my airfare,” she told investigators.
Police revealed that Yeh had accumulated debt in Taiwan and was recruited by the fraud ring during discussions about her loan repayments. Investigation into the wider criminal network is ongoing.
