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Maria believed she was dating a prince from Dubai, drawn in by his charming smile and romantic gestures during live video chats. However, her suitor was actually an AI-generated deepfake, making her another victim of an online romance scam.
This case highlights how scammers impersonate Dubai’s real-life crown prince to lure victims, often establishing online relationships before siphoning money from them. Some of these schemes have links to criminal groups in Nigeria.
Maria encountered the scammer pretending to be Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed, also known as Fazza, on a dating website. Their conversation moved to messaging apps, where he flooded her with romantic messages.
“He kept messaging me even when I was asleep,” the Filipino domestic worker told AFP, asking to remain anonymous. “It felt like a love spell was linking our minds.”
In one WhatsApp video call recording obtained by AFP, the scammer appeared strikingly lifelike, matching lip movements to his words, though his voice was fake.
“Hello, beloved,” the voice said. “I truly appreciate your love and support.”
Initially too heartbroken to suspect fraud, Maria lost all her savings over a year. The scammer manipulated her into paying 100,000 pesos ($1,625) for a “marriage certificate” and a “royal membership card,” claiming these documents would help her secure employment in Dubai.
Her suspicions grew when he suggested meeting her at a hotel and demanded an additional 60,000 pesos ($974) for the reservation. A review of his Facebook profile—now taken down—revealed he was based in Nigeria.
She severed contact with a final message: “Go to hell, scammer.”
“Many people told me I was lucky I didn’t go crazy over this experience,” Maria reflected.
### Blowing kisses and emojis
These scams form part of a larger network of “fake Dubai prince” schemes targeting both hearts and wallets.
Scammers leverage the royal’s online presence, including over 17 million Instagram followers, and even imitate his genuine poetry to deceive victims.
AFP identified several Facebook groups that impersonate the royal, some with thousands of members, where users are invited to chat via WhatsApp or Telegram with the “prince.”
These groups share manipulated yet realistic images—one shows the prince on one knee with a ring, another depicts him offering a red rose with the caption, “Sweetheart, can I get a ‘love you’ on WhatsApp?”
Though some commenters warn these posts are scams, many others respond with hearts and kisses.
In response to this widespread deception, awareness groups have launched initiatives like Instagram’s “Don’t Fall for Fake Prince.” A Change.org petition titled “Stop Fazza Scam” urges Sheikh Hamdan’s team to raise awareness, noting that scammers impersonate the royal using Dubai phone numbers and forge documents requesting large sums of money, sometimes in cryptocurrencies, to make tracing difficult.
### Advancements in technology
Dubai authorities did not comment on AFP’s inquiries.
The trend isn’t isolated; last year, French authorities investigated scammers pretending to be Brad Pitt, who robbed a woman of €830,000 ($945,000). The Global Anti-Scam Alliance estimates worldwide losses from scams like romance fraud topped $442 billion last year.
It’s unclear which AI tools were employed for the real-time video interactions with Maria. The internet now offers advanced face-swapping AI and motion-control technologies capable of creating highly realistic videos, allowing users to manipulate facial expressions and movements live.
“Rapid technological improvements mean that soon, real-time deepfake videos will become increasingly convincing,” noted David Rand from Cornell University. “Once that happens, it will be nearly impossible to distinguish between real and fake in virtual conversations.”
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini AI
Grok AI
