An online scam that extorts money by deceiving people with videos of AI beauties

According to a recent study, a network of fake accounts operating on the Facebook social media platform, using AI-generated female images, has been found to be luring Sri Lankans into various scams. These accounts primarily use emotional and sexually suggestive content to direct users to adult chat services, gambling websites, cryptocurrency promotions, and other suspicious online platforms.

This research, conducted by Senior Researcher Dr. Sanjana Hattotuwa, confirmed that none of the 10 Facebook accounts examined represented real women. Instead, they relied entirely on AI-generated photos and fake identities. For this study, 1,706 Facebook posts published between February 2025 and June 2026 were analyzed, notably receiving over 890,000 reactions and shares on social media.

These fake profiles often posted in Sinhala, posing as lonely, divorced, widowed, or financially struggling women seeking a partner. They attempted to move commenters from public spaces to private messaging services like WhatsApp. Furthermore, evidence suggests that at least five accounts operated in an organized manner, with 113 clusters of similar headlines and 676 identical posts shared across various accounts within minutes, clearly indicating a centrally controlled network.

Highly sophisticated, attractive, and sexually suggestive AI-generated images with exaggerated physical features were widely used for these accounts to evade Facebook's moderation limits. Dr. Hattotuwa pointed out that these accounts used short URLs to redirect users to other fraudulent websites. Furthermore, when moving to platforms outside the Facebook network, those behind these accounts changed their identities, making it extremely difficult for users to discern whether they were communicating with a real person or a commercial operation.

Although there is no political influence behind these activities, researchers have identified this as an organized commercial operation solely aimed at generating income through deception. The researcher warned that since such AI identities can gain public trust without real individuals being involved, there is a significant risk that this infrastructure could be used for financial fraud or other online manipulations in the future. This report emphasizes the need for stronger transparency, disclosure requirements, and strict monitoring of external links on social media platforms like Facebook to identify such AI-related content and the individuals operating behind them.