Purported Deepfake Impersonating Dubai Crown Prince Reportedly Used to Defraud Filipino Domestic Worker
A Filipino domestic worker identified as "Maria" reportedly paid ₱100,000 (about $1,625) after a scammer deployed purportedly manipulated real-time video to impersonate Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed during WhatsApp calls. The scammer reportedly claimed the money was for a marriage certificate and "royal membership card" that would help her secure a job in Dubai. Maria reportedly ended contact after noticing that the Facebook account was based in Nigeria.
- Date it happened
- 2026-07-03
- Organisation involved
- Scammers in Nigeria, Scammers, Romance scammers, Employment scammers, Cybercriminals
- Product, system or model
- WhatsApp, Synthetic video generation technology, Synthetic media generation technology, Deepfake technology, Facebook, Social media platforms
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