Chinese Police Bust 28-Member Gang Running AI Matchmaking Scams Targeting Elderly Women

Police in Chengdu, China, arrested 28 suspects who operated a fraudulent matchmaking agency using AI-generated male personas to target middle-aged and elderly women. The gang defrauded over 50 victims of more than 1 million RMB within less than a year by charging fake service fees. This case highlights how scammers are increasingly weaponizing AI-generated avatars and voice-changing technologies to conduct highly targeted social engineering and romance scams at scale. It underscores the urgent need for short-video and social media platforms to upgrade their AI detection algorithms and implement stricter risk-control measures. The fraudulent company employed sales, video editing, and streaming staff who used pre-written scripts, voice changers, and AI-generated male avatars during live streams to build trust. Once victims paid the matchmaking fees, the scammers ghosted them or had customer service staff continue the deception instead of providing actual matchmaking services.