A man uses AI technology to generate a female voice and fabricates an identity to engage in an online romance with another man, thereby defrauding the latter of his money. What legal consequences await such conduct? How can the public guard against and avoid falling victim to such new-style scams?

[Case Review]

In February 2025, a man surnamed ZHAI posed as a woman and met a man surnamed YAO on a dating app. Subsequently, ZHAI registered a new account on another social media platform, used a false name, and added YAO as a friend. In the course of their chats, to win YAO¡¯s confidence, ZHAI leveraged AI voice synthesis technology to generate a female voice, and the two gradually entered into a romantic relationship.

Thereafter, ZHAI deliberately painted an attractive picture of living together with YAO. On various pretexts such as repaying loans, renting an apartment for work, and purchasing car insurance, he defrauded YAO of over 50,000 yuan. In May 2025, YAO found out the truth and filed a report with the public security organs. Before the crime came to light, ZHAI returned 1,000 yuan to YAO. After being apprehended, ZHAI truthfully confessed to the foregoing criminal facts.

[Ruling of the People¡¯s Court]

Upon hearing the case, the people¡¯s court held that ZHAI, for the purpose of illegal possession, defrauded another person of property by fabricating facts and concealing the truth, and the amount involved was relatively large. His acts constitute the crime of fraud. In view of circumstances including ZHAI being a recidivist, truthfully confessing his crimes, and voluntarily admitting guilt and accepting punishment, the court sentenced ZHAI, for the crime of fraud, to fixed-term imprisonment of one year and eight months and a fine of 20,000 yuan.

[Judge¡¯s Insights]

I. Severe Legal Sanctions Await Fraud Committed by Exploiting Technology

With the rapid advancement of emerging technologies including AI, a wide array of smart applications have become accessible to the general public. Unfortunately, such tools are also exploited by wrongdoers, spawning numerous new forms of cybercrime. In this case, ZHAI deployed AI technology to synthesize a female voice and create a false female identity, all with the aim of extracting money out of this sham romance.

Cybercrime methods are growing more sophisticated and covert, yet the internet is never a lawless space. Misusing AI technology to perpetrate fraud violates citizens¡¯ property rights and undermines social integrity, and the law maintains an unwavering zero-tolerance stance on such conduct. By meting out severe sanctions against crimes committed by exploiting emerging technologies and drawing clear ethical and legal boundaries for the use of technology, the people¡¯s court seeks to send a strong punitive signal via judicial rulings. The court underscores that AI deployment must abide by laws and regulations and respect public order and good morals, so as to uphold the rule-of-law principle that technology shall be harnessed for good.

II. Beware of Deepfakes and Verify Information via Multiple Channels

As barriers to accessing technology keep falling, conventional methods for verifying authenticity are being put to the test. Many fraud schemes have evolved beyond verbal deception to fabricate a persona using technical tools. In this case, ZHAI posed as an online girlfriend and convinced YAO of his disguise, drawing him deep into a sham romantic relationship. It also highlights that the public generally lacks adequate vigilance against highly tailored, emotionally manipulative targeted scams.

Members of the public ought to raise risk awareness amid key interactions including online socializing, monetary transfers, and business dealings. Even when receiving seemingly personal materials such as audio and video from another party, individuals should proactively cross-verify information through multiple official channels. Do not judge authenticity merely by subjective impressions or allow emotional persuasion to cloud judgment, lest you fall prey to scams crafted through technological disguise and suffer losses to personal information and property. If anyone becomes ensnared in a romance scam, they should promptly preserve all relevant evidence including chat logs and transfer records and report the matter to public security authorities without delay, so as not to miss the critical window for asset recovery and loss remediation.

[Comments from a Deputy]

This dating fraud case involving the use of AI voice synthesis technology to impersonate a woman exemplifies the typical convergence of technological abuse and emotional deception. Leveraging deep synthesis technology to fabricate his identity, the perpetrator defrauded funds under the pretext of romance. Such conduct not only violates the victim¡¯s property rights and interests but also erodes the bedrock of trust within online social spaces. The case lays bare emerging criminal risks stemming from rapid technological advances and sends a reminder that interpersonal exchanges in the digital era urgently demand new consensus on identity verification. By imposing lawful sanctions against fraud committed through technological disguise, the people¡¯s court draws clear behavioral red lines and shapes value guidance via case judgments. This clarifies the legal limits governing technological application and helps steer the development of new technologies toward a lawful, compliant, ethical, and orderly path.

[Relevant Laws]

I. Criminal Law of the People¡¯s Republic of China

Article 266

Whoever defrauds another of public or private property in a relatively large amount shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance, and may also be fined, or shall be fined independently. If the amount involved is huge or there are other serious circumstances, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years and shall also be fined. If the amount involved is especially huge or there are other especially serious circumstances, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years or life imprisonment, and shall also be fined or subject to confiscation of property. Where there are other provisions in this Law, such provisions shall govern.

Article 67

Although a criminal suspect does not have the circumstances of voluntary surrender as prescribed in the preceding two paragraphs, they may be given a lighter punishment for truthfully confessing their crimes; where their truthful confession averts especially serious consequences, they may be given a mitigated punishment.

Article 52 When imposing a fine, the amount thereof shall be determined in light of the circumstances of the crime.

Article 53 A fine shall be paid in a lump sum or in installments within the time limit specified in the judgment. If payment is not made upon expiry of the time limit, compulsory enforcement shall apply. Where the person fined cannot pay the full amount, the people¡¯s court shall recover the fine at any time upon discovering that the person has property available for execution.

If, due to unavoidable disasters or other causes, payment of the fine is truly difficult, the people¡¯s court may, upon making a ruling, extend the time limit for payment, appropriately reduce the amount, or waive the fine.

Article 64 All property illegally obtained by a criminal shall be recovered, or the criminal shall be ordered to make restitution to the victim; the lawful property of the victim shall be promptly returned; contraband and the criminal¡¯s property used in the commission of the crime shall be confiscated. All confiscated property and fines shall be turned over to the state treasury and must not be misappropriated or arbitrarily disposed of.

II. Criminal Procedure Law of the People¡¯s Republic of China

Article 15 Where a criminal suspect or defendant voluntarily and truthfully confesses their crimes, admits the alleged criminal facts, and is willing to accept punishment, they may be dealt with leniently in accordance with the law.