AI voice bots have become a fraud tool

Mondo Technology Updated on 2024-01-31

"AI" voice bots have become a fraud tool

Anshun Xixiu: Reasonably eliminate duplicate and invalid data to accurately determine the number of victims.

Every day, more than 3,000 "AI" voice robots are run to provide services for overseas fraud gangs, and there are more than 100 overseas "customer" WeChat groups and QQ groups. On May 29, 2023, the Intermediate People's Court of Anshun City, Guizhou Province, made a final ruling, upholding the original judgment against defendants Li, Zhang, and Chen. Not long ago, this case was selected as a typical case of procuratorial organs punishing telecommunications network fraud and related crimes in accordance with the law released by the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

Using fake loan apps to scam money

One day in March 2020, Chen, who lives in Anshun, visited a loan app and entered personal information such as name, ID number, and ** number to inquire about the loan amount through the app. A few days later, Chen received a machine ** asking him if he had any intention to take out a loan, and after he answered in the affirmative, the other party said that his loan amount was 850,000 yuan, and asked to add WeChat to discuss in detail. The other party sent a mobile phone software called "Renren Loan" (fake) through WeChat** link, Chen knew that there was indeed a formal loan software called "Renren Loan", so he clicked **, and was deceived by the need to pay the unfreezing fee and verify the repayment ability 2More than 80,000 yuan.

Chen realized that he had been deceived and immediately called the police. In April 2020, the public security organs arrested Yan Moucheng and Chen Moupeng, who made links to malicious programs such as fake loan apps, Li, Zhang, and Chen Mouyou, who provided "AI" voice robot services, and even Mouhua, who lent bank cards.

After investigation, in July 2018, Li established Shengtong Company (pseudonym) and hired Zhang and Chen Mouyou as staff members to engage in businesses such as renting intelligent dialing robots and dialing intelligent voice**. They write automatic response scripts according to the requirements of the "customer" and enter the answering voice, screen the object according to the ** number provided by the "customer", and use the "AI" voice robot to automatically dial ** to form voice and text call records. These "customers" determined the strength and weakness of the loan intention by analyzing the phone call, and added the WeChat and other *** of the victim with a strong loan intention to push fake loan apps according to the carefully planned automatic answering routine, and these fake loan apps were produced and maintained by Yan Moucheng and Chen Moupeng. In the process of applying for a loan, the app will automatically push links such as "Apply for membership", "Pay the fee for unfreezing the bank account", and "Verify the ability to repay", so as to extract the victim's money step by step.

Know that the "customer" is a fraudster

After Li, Yan Moucheng and others arrived at the case, they admitted to providing "AI" voice robot services and making fake loan apps, but they all said that they did not know that the "customer" was a fraud gang. In May 2020, the Xixiu District Procuratorate of Anshun City intervened in advance in accordance with the law.

Retrieve the suspect's mobile phone call records and chat records such as WeChat and QQ to find out whether there is any malicious contact between the suspect and the 'customer' and whether he knows that the 'customer' is a fraudster. Investigate and verify the bank card held by Li to find out the flow of funds. "After understanding the basic facts of the case, the procurator handling the case put forward opinions to guide the collection of evidence.

After investigation, Li's personal collection account was frozen by the public security organs due to the inflow of telecommunications network fraud funds, and when Li went to deal with it, he learned that there was a fraud gang among his "customers", and in this case, he still provided technical support to the fraud gang. Li also explained to Zhang and Chen that he was only a loan customer, and only a foreign customer. Li also often went to the bank to withdraw money after disguise, and hid a large amount of cash at home. All kinds of evidence show that Li and others knew that the so-called "customer" was a fraud gang, but still provided them with "AI" voice robot services. Yan Moucheng's claim that he did not know that the "customer" was a fraud gang was also confirmed by QQ chat records and the confession of his co-defendant Chen Moupeng.

The case was caused by Chen's being deceived, how to determine the other victims?After joint research with the police, the procurator handling the case decided to find out the victim by comparing the mirror data of the company's "AI" voice robot dialing number with the victim data of the anti-telecom fraud case investigation platform.

On October 30, 2020, the public security organs transferred Li and six others to the Xixiu District Procuratorate for review and prosecution on suspicion of fraud and other crimes. The procurator handling the case promptly reviewed the facts of the case and the evidence in the case, and found that the public security organs had compared more than 2,000 victims. According to the general law of fraud, victims often have to receive a few ** before they can be fooled, and the call time is relatively long, but the call records show that some victims have a small number of ** and a short time, and the prosecutor believes that there are doubts about whether all victims were deceived because they received the sound communication company**.

After eliminating invalid data, investigate and verify all the facts of the crime in which the victim was deceived one by one. "The prosecutor submitted a supplementary investigative opinion. After eliminating duplicate data and invalid data, the procuratorate finally determined that more than 1,430 victims were deceived because they received a call from Shengtong's "AI" voice robot, and the amount defrauded was more than 35.86 million yuan.

They're all part of it

In response to whether there was a connection between Li, Chen, and Zhang, Yan Moucheng, and Chen Moupeng of Shengtong Company, and whether it was a criminal gang, the prosecutor proposed to conduct further analysis of the electronic equipment and call records of both parties, and find out whether Yan Moucheng and Chen Moupeng provided illegal and criminal assistance to Shengtong Company.

In April 2021, prosecutors from the Xixiu District Procuratorate conducted a study on the case.

After verification, Li, Chen, and Zhang provided "AI" voice robot services, and Yan Moucheng and Chen Moupeng produced and maintained fake loan apps, all of which were just a link in the entire fraud process, and the two parties did not know each other, but they were all members of overseas fraud gangs and accomplices in fraud crimes.

The prosecutor also found that in the process of helping fraud, Li and Yan Moucheng purchased information such as citizen ** numbers from others, which constituted the crime of infringing on citizens' personal information. Even Mouhua clearly knew that Li was providing assistance to the telecommunications network fraud gang, but still provided two of his bank cards for Li to use, and helped Li withdraw cash and transfer more than 1.54 million yuan of stolen money, constituting the crime of covering up and concealing criminal proceeds.

In July 2021, the prosecutor of the Xixiu District Procuratorate appeared in court to support the prosecution.

On April 16, 2021, the Xixiu District Procuratorate prosecuted six people, including Li, Yan Moucheng, and Occasional Mouhua, on suspicion of fraud, infringement of citizens' personal information, and covering up and concealing criminal proceeds. On December 1, 2022, the court sentenced Li and six others to fixed-term imprisonment of three to seventeen years, and each was fined. All six defendants appealed against the first-instance judgment. After trial, the Anshun Intermediate People's Court changed the sentence of the other defendants because he pleaded guilty and accepted punishment in the second instance, and upheld the original verdict for the other defendants.

*: Procuratorate** • Der Spiegel Author: Ding Yanhong Guo Yuting).

Related Pages