Japanese fake police scam video calls suspected of using generative AI face swapping

In August, the Osaka Prefectural Police in Japan released a video call segment actually used in a fake police scam. The man claiming to be a police officer in the video may be another person disguised using generative AI face swapping. In June, a woman in her 30s in Kansai received a call from someone claiming to be Sato from the Life Safety Division of the Aichi Prefectural Police, who said her cash card was involved in a fraud case. The call then moved to a video call, where a man claiming to be Keiji Inoue from the Second Division of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Aichi Prefectural Police Headquarters showed a badge resembling a police notebook and pressured her with questions. The call lasted over an hour, and the woman hung up because the other party repeatedly asked for personal information. FNN, under the supervision of Trend Micro, verified the video. In a demonstration, a man's face could be replaced in real time with the face of Kansai TV anchor Kazuyoshi Yoshihara, with blinking and mouth movements synchronized. Trend Micro's Ken Sato said that camera images can be easily replaced, and one should not trust the other party based solely on video images. Police say victims of such scams are no longer limited to the elderly, and younger people who are more receptive to video calls are also increasing.