AI romance scam ring defrauded Americans of $15 million

Federal authorities have dismantled a sophisticated romance scam operation that defrauded over 100 elderly Americans out of an estimated $15 million. The perpetrators leveraged artificial intelligence to create convincing fake dating profiles and build trust with their victims. Once trust was established, they manipulated individuals into sending large sums of money, with one victim losing $1.1 million before the scammer disappeared. The fraudsters then flaunted their ill-gotten gains online, highlighting the brazen nature of their criminal enterprise and the devastating financial and emotional impact on the elderly victims.