AI chatbots on dating apps scammed about 25,000 users
AI-powered chatbots have slipped into dating apps, fooling about 25,000 people with fake profiles.
Using Anthropic's Claude AI, scammers set up apps on Google Play Store and Apple's App Store: apps like Kira (still live as of today) blended bot chats with occasional human touches to seem extra convincing.
China-linked scammers sent 2.36 million messages
In just two weeks, more than 4,700 fake profiles sent out 2.36 million messages, getting users to spend real money on in-app "coins" to keep chatting. The operation is linked to a group in China.
Anthropic has banned these accounts and flagged the issue with app stores. While some apps were removed, Kira is still available, showing that app stores are struggling to keep up.
If you're using dating apps, watch out for requests involving money or anything that feels off. AI scams are getting smarter every day.