Al-generated scams

Check Point Software Technologies, an Israeli cybersecurity company with operations in over 60 countries, recently exposed an Al-generated reality scam wherein victims are led on to believe that they are part of a “real” online investment and trading group that eventually lures the gullible participants to share their personal and financial data, and invest in an Al-generated platform and community, eventually leading to losses in their perceived “real” investments and trade portfolios.

- MARIANNE GO

According to Check Point experts Nir Horovitz and Yediya Vachnish, a new class of financial fraud is emerging. It does not rely on malware or crude phishing pages, but instead builds a fully synthetic, Al-powered reality around the victim.

In the OPCOPRO “Truman Show Scam,” attackers combine Al-generated personas, fabricated investment communities, WebView-based mobile apps in official app stores, and staged media presence to create the illusion of a legitimate institutional trading program. Victims don’t just receive a scam message — they’re drawn into a scripted world where every expert, peer, chart, contract and “win” is fake.

The movie, ‘The Truman Show’ — which starred comedian Jim Carrey, was about a man who lived his whole life in a fake environment that was being watched by millions of TV viewers.

According to Check Point, “The Truman Show Scam,” as they call it, marks a turning point wherein fraud is evolving from isolated scams into scalable Al-driven systems that industrialize trust-building and identity theft.

The scam victims are first contacted via SMS, messaging apps, or ads, often impersonating respected financial institutions and promoting extraordinary returns. The goal is simple: move the target into a private WhatsApp or Telegram group where skepticism can be controlled.

Inside these groups, Al-generated “experts” and fabricated members simulate an active trading environment, with fluent, native-language interactions and professional-sounding market commentary. There are also staged daily profits and fake partnerships and compliance claims, complete with Al-generated profile photos.