Couple loses R$4,600 after falling for a scam that even has a fake promoter made with artificial intelligence

Couple loses R$4,600 after falling for a scam that even has a fake prosecutor made with AI A couple from São Carlos (SP) was the victim of a sophisticated scam by fake lawyers and lost R$4,600 when trying to release payment for a legal case. To give credibility to the crime, the fraudsters used artificial intelligence to simulate that the real lawyer in the case was in court and created the profile of a supposed prosecutor who demanded payments via Pix. ? Follow g1 São Carlos and Araraquara on Instagram The action occurred after the couple expected to recover amounts relating to a rented property. "The money we were waiting for, because we filed a lawsuit against a man who didn't pay the rent for the house he rented to him and we took it to court", reported the victim, who preferred not to identify himself for his safety. The scam scheme Scammers use a real photo of a lawyer with another number and a photo of a fake prosecutor created with artificial intelligence in São Carlos (SP) Reproduction When contacting a new instant message number, the criminals used the name and photos of the couple's real lawyer, Dr. Ricardo Franco. When the victim asked if he needed to go to the office, the fake professional sent a photo generated by artificial intelligence simulating being at a hearing. Afterwards, the supposed lawyer informed that a prosecutor would proceed with the release of the amounts. A second profile got in touch, using the Rio Grande do Sul area code (54), and made voice calls demanding money to release the funds for the process. The victim reports that she was pressured to make payments urgently, suffering financial loss. "He was in a hurry and he said: 'come on, it's over soon, get on with it, you have to get on with it'. He made me very nervous and I quickly did what he told me. He's doing his own thing, it seems like they get inside our heads. And we fell for the scam," said the victim, when confirming the transfer of R$4,600. More news from the region: VIOLENCE: 'What did you do to provoke it?': attacked teacher remembers humiliation and silencing before the Maria da Penha Law COLLECTIVE TRANSPORT: 'Sardine can': overcrowding and bus delays complicate the lives of passengers PROJECT: Instituto EP offers a prize of R$ 20 thousand for social projects in São Carlos; find out how to sign up See the full EPTV report: Scammers use Artificial Intelligence to make victims believe that a fake hearing is real Office is also harmed Lawyer Ricardo Franco stated that his image had already been used before in false approaches, but that the simulation of a hearing with AI and the inclusion of a supposed prosecutor were unprecedented. "The fact of using the word prosecutor, it is very strong. So, with AI, it shows the person's photo, it showed me in the jury court, they made an attempt at a hearing", explained Franco. In addition to clients, lawyers also suffer from the reputational impact of criminal practice. The firm's partner, who also had the image used, revealed that another client transferred R$54,000 in a similar scam, but managed to recover the amount. "We end up losing trust because they are using our image to commit crimes. There were clients who suspected that we were involved", highlighted the partner. Origin of data and how to protect yourself The ease with which criminals approach victims is due to access to data from legal proceedings, which are public. However, confidential information raises suspicions of internal leaks in the courts. To avoid falling for the scam of a fake lawyer, the digital security specialist at USP São Carlos, Kalinka Castelo Branco, advises that the population adopt verification measures before making any payment: Be wary of new numbers: If you receive a message from a different number than usual, do not make transfers or provide data. Call an office landline: Confirm with reception or secretary whether the lawyer actually sent that message or charged a fee. Don't open your cell phone camera to strangers: Scammers use video calls to capture victims' faces and voices from different angles to open accounts, loans and create fake signatures using biometrics. EPTV VIDEOS: See more news from the region on g1 São Carlos and Araraquara