Anthropic found a network of about 28 fraudulent dating apps whose chats were mostly run by AI. Its researcher Chris Cronbaugh spoke about it at a security conference in June.
Users, mostly men in their late 30s, matched with what they thought were real women. Only about one in four was human, and those were paid gig workers who passed video checks.
The apps charge coins for more chatting. Users paid real money to talk mostly to machines.
π The Backstory
The paid workers did not write their own replies. They picked from three ready-made options while the AI handled everything else. The apps also faked likes, visitors and video.
Anthropic spotted the network after a prepaid account sent more than 100,000 requests a day to Claude. Its report says the AI was never told it was part of a scam.
A researcher found the operation's manual, written in Chinese, shipped inside one of the apps by accident. It described how workers were tracked and paid.
π― Why It Matters
Dating apps are a common place to lose money and trust. Knowing a chat partner may be software helps people spot the signs before they pay.
Anthropic found a network of about 28 fraudulent dating apps whose chats were mostly run by AI. Its researcher Chris Cronbaugh spoke about it at a security conference in June.
Users, mostly men in their late 30s, matched with what they thought were real women. Only about one in four was human, and those were paid gig workers who passed video checks.
The apps charge coins for more chatting. Users paid real money to talk mostly to machines.
The paid workers did not write their own replies. They picked from three ready-made options while the AI handled everything else. The apps also faked likes, visitors and video.
Anthropic spotted the network after a prepaid account sent more than 100,000 requests a day to Claude. Its report says the AI was never told it was part of a scam.
A researcher found the operation's manual, written in Chinese, shipped inside one of the apps by accident. It described how workers were tracked and paid.
Dating apps are a common place to lose money and trust. Knowing a chat partner may be software helps people spot the signs before they pay.