UK Woman Scammed by AI Romance Fraudster

A UK woman, identified only as Mary, fell victim to an elaborate romance scam perpetrated by an AI-generated character named 'Mike Murdy,' who posed as a US army colonel on Tinder. Over several months, Mary was convinced to send a total of £20,000 under the pretense of helping Murdy access a life insurance policy worth £607,000. The scam involved hyperrealistic AI-generated videos and personalized messages, which made the deception more convincing. After becoming impatient, Mary broke into the supposed briefcase she had paid to unlock, only to find it contained blank sheets of paper. Financial experts warn that this type of AI-assisted scam is part of a new wave of online fraud, with victims often reluctant to report due to embarrassment. Last year, romance scams in the UK accounted for nearly £460 million in losses, highlighting the growing sophistication of fraud techniques.