"Elon Musk" scam: Japan pensioner falls victim to AI romance fraud

A 31-year-old man has been arrested in Japan over his alleged involvement in a fraud scheme in which criminals impersonated US billionaire Elon Musk and convinced a 65-year-old woman that she was in a romantic relationship with the entrepreneur.

Police arrested Ryo Ono on July 24 in Kumamoto Prefecture, suspecting him of working with others who created fake social media accounts using Musk’s identity to contact fans of the Tesla and SpaceX founder, Caliber.Az reports via Japanese media.

According to investigators, the group gained the woman’s trust by sending messages expressing affection and claiming that Musk needed her support before later requesting financial assistance.

Police said artificial intelligence tools were used to make the deception more convincing, including during a video call in which the suspect allegedly appeared as Musk through AI-generated technology.

The woman, from the city of Kamikusa, initially believed she was communicating with the real entrepreneur and made several money transfers. Although she later became suspicious and contacted police, she continued communicating with the group and sent additional payments.

In total, the woman transferred 1.85 million yen ($11,200) in six transactions, according to police.

Authorities are investigating the case as the work of an organised anonymous criminal group and are seeking to identify other individuals allegedly involved in the scheme.

By Aghakazim Guliyev