CCTV Exposes Low-Cost AI Proxy Scams Hijacking User Code and Data

Chinese broadcaster CCTV exposed grey-market sellers offering steep discounts on AI credits by tricking users into executing scripts that modify local AI software configurations. These modifications reroute requests through third-party API proxies, putting sensitive documents, code, and meeting notes at risk of interception and resale. This alert underscores severe cybersecurity threats facing developers who use unauthorized AI API relays to reduce costs, as third-party proxies can intercept confidential enterprise data. It also highlights how grey-market resellers manipulate credit consumption rates and exploit stolen API keys while exposing users to unverified remote scripts. Tencent WorkBuddy clarified that these scripts merely hook the software to external models rather than supplying official points, and announced strict bans on violating accounts. Experts noted that resellers set custom billing rules that consume credits 5 to 8 times faster than standard rates, while gaining full access to users' local client permissions.