‘HELLO BOSS’: Inside the Chinese Realtime Deepfake Software Powering Scams Around the World -…
Haotian AI is a readily available, real-time deepfake software marketed to scammers, capable of impersonating anyone during live video calls on platforms like WhatsApp and Zoom.
- Incident date
- May 2026
- Target
- Gal Gadot, Elon Musk, Jackie Chan
A readily available piece of software called 'Haotian AI' allows scammers to morph their face into anyone else's during live video calls, marking a new stage in deepfake fraud. This technology enables criminals to change their appearance in real time to trick people into handing over money.
What happened
404 Media obtained and tested Haotian AI, finding it can impersonate at least one U.S. police department. The software works on platforms like WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom, and is linked to Chinese money laundering networks and scam compounds in South East Asia. Demos show the software transforming an Asian woman into Gal Gadot, and displaying convincing deepfakes of Elon Musk and Jackie Chan. The software also features tools to adjust facial features like nose size and jawline shape. While deepfake detection models struggle with Haotian AI, the true value of the software lies in its technical support, allowing even non-technical criminals to use it.