Headline

Woman Duped £17k With Deepfakes In AI-driven Romance Scam

Published

9 months ago

December 20, 2024

A 77-year-old retired lecturer from Edinburgh, Nikki MacLeod, has come forward to share her ordeal of falling victim to an elaborate online romance scam involving AI-generated deepfake videos.

The scam, which cost her £17,000, highlights the growing sophistication of cybercriminals leveraging artificial intelligence to manipulate unsuspecting victims.

Speaking during BBC Scotland’s Scam Safe Week, Nikki revealed how loneliness after losing her parents during the COVID-19 lockdown and the end of a long-term relationship led her to online chat groups, where she met a woman known as “Alla Morgan.”

The scammer claimed to be working on an oil rig in the North Sea and used advanced AI technology to create convincing videos and documents.

Nikki, initially sceptical, was persuaded by a series of video messages purportedly showing “Alla Morgan” addressing her directly and claiming she was not a scammer.

The videos, featuring bad weather and oil rig backgrounds, appeared authentic enough to convince Nikki that the woman was real.

“I am not a stupid person, but she was able to convince me we were going to spend our lives together,” Nikki said, recounting how she sent money through gift cards, bank transfers, and PayPal to maintain communication and assist “Alla” with supposed travel arrangements.

The scam unfolded gradually. First, Nikki was asked to purchase Steam gift cards, which the scammer claimed were necessary to maintain an internet connection on the oil rig.

Later, she was presented with fabricated documents and contacted by someone posing as a company HR representative, who requested $2,500 for helicopter travel.

Nikki only realized the truth when her bank flagged a transaction and informed her she was a victim of fraud.

Police Scotland has since launched an investigation into the case.

Nikki is now warning others about the dangers of online scams and the sophisticated tactics employed by criminals.

“I want people to know that this can happen to anyone. AI technology is making scams more convincing than ever,” she said.

Headline

FBI Releases Video Of Charlie Kirk’s Shooter, Recovers Weapons Near Scene [WATCH]

Published

2 hours ago

September 12, 2025

Editor

The FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office on Friday released video footage of the man suspected of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk fleeing a rooftop after the incident on September 10, 2025.

The bureau, in a statement accompanied by the video link shared on X on Friday, noted that the video shows the shooter climbing onto a rooftop shortly before the attack and then jumping off and fleeing the scene after firing the fatal shots.

Investigators also reportedly found the weapon and ammunition used in the shooting in a wooded area near the university.

The agency wrote, “The FBI has released a video and more photos of the shooter in the Utah Valley shooting. The subject is seen jumping from the rooftop of a building after the shooting.

“Around 12 pm Mountain Time on September 10, 2025, the subject climbed up to a rooftop; after he shot and killed Charlie Kirk, he jumped off and ran away. He left a gun and ammunition in a wooded area near the university.

“Trace evidence collected from the rooftop scene included shoe impressions, a forearm imprint, and a palm print. Anyone with information in this case should call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit fbi.gov/utahvalleyshooting.”

The bureau added that it is working closely with law enforcement partners to seek justice in the murder of Charlie Kirk.

The PUNCH reported on Thursday that the FBI released initial images of a person of interest in the fatal shooting of Kirk.

The agency also offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of those responsible for his death.

Meanwhile, two people misidentified online as suspects in the fatal shooting of right-wing US activist Charlie Kirk also told AFP Thursday they were terrified by the misinformation targeting them, as the manhunt for the real killer continued.

31-year-old Kirk, a major ally of President Donald Trump and the head of the largest conservative youth movement in the United States, was shot dead while attending an event at Utah Valley University.

Watch the video below:

https://x.com/MobilePunch/status/1966444113794109657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1966444113794109657%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-186661262228333818.ampproject.net%2F2508281901000%2Fframe.html

Headline

Russia Threatens Poland Over Belarus Border Closure

Published

6 hours ago

September 12, 2025

Editor

Russia, on Thursday, urged Poland to reopen its border with Belarus, Moscow’s close ally, calling the closure “destructive” and warning of consequences.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced Tuesday the closure of the border with Belarus from 0000 on September 12 (2200 GMT on September 11), in response to the upcoming joint Russian-Belarusian war games.

“We urge Warsaw to consider the consequences of such destructive steps and to review its decision as soon as possible,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

The border closure was to “justify a policy of further escalating tensions in the centre of Europe”, she added.

NATO’s eastern flank members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are on high alert due to the massive drills, which according to Tusk are designed to simulate occupation of the Suwalki corridor, a strategically important area in Poland.

Usually held every four years, the 2025 iteration of Zapad is the first during the conflict in Ukraine, and is due to run until September 16.

Belarus had said in January that 13,000 troops would be involved in the drills, but in May it said the number was to be reduced by around half.

Zakharova said Warsaw had “demonstratively” ignored the “goodwill” gestures by Moscow and Minsk to move the exercise away from the Polish border and to reduce the number of military personnel participating.

Headline

Men Can Take Wives’ Surnames —South Africa’s Top Court Rules

Published

16 hours ago

September 11, 2025

Editor

South Africa’s top court ruled Thursday that men should be able to take their wives’ surnames and a law that prevented this amounted to unfair gender discrimination.

The Constitutional Court said the legal ban served no legitimate government purpose and was suspended, paving the way for parliament to enact amendments to the legislation.

While men were deprived of the ability to take their wives’ surnames, the discrimination was “far more insidious” for women, the ruling said.

It “reinforces patriarchal gender norms, which prescribe how women may express their identity, and it makes this expression relational to their husband, as a governmental and cultural default,” it said.

The case was brought to court by two couples, one of which wanted to honour the woman’s parents who died when she was young. In the other case, the woman wanted to keep her ties to her family surname as she was an only child.

Previously, men would have to apply to the home affairs department to change their surname, a request that was not automatically granted.

Provisions allowing men to assume their wives’ surname on marriage are already in place in other countries, mainly in Europe and in certain US states.

AFP