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A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels

AI Romance Scams Use Fake Video Calls — episode cover art
8:24

是爱情还是AI骗局?

AI Romance Scams Use Fake Video Calls

About this story

Xiao Li's online match is humorous, charming, patient — the warning signs of an AI romance scam in everyday Chinese. HSK 3 Chinese listening practice.

This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 8 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 16 key vocabulary words such as 怀疑、印象、甚至 and walks through 6 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.

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原文

Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.

说到现在很多人喜欢在网上找男朋友或者女朋友,我们要聊一个很严肃的话题。
现在的网络非常方便,你可以在手机上认识全世界的人。
很多人觉得,在网上找到爱情是一件很浪漫的事情。
但是,你有没有想过,那个在手机另一边的人,可能根本不是真人?
这就是我们今天要讨论的问题:你遇到的是爱情,还是AI骗局?
我们都知道,现在的科学技术发展得非常快。
特别是人工智能技术,也就是我们常说的AI,已经变得非常聪明了。
以前,如果有人给你发照片,你可能会怀疑照片是不是真的。
于是你会要求对方和你视频聊天。
因为在我们的印象中,视频是很难做假的。
如果我在视频里看到了他的脸,听到了他的声音,那他肯定就是真的。
但是,现在的情况已经完全改变了。
现在的AI技术,不但可以做假的照片,甚至可以做假的视频。
这种技术可以把一个人的脸换成另一个人的脸。
即使是一个坏人,他也可以利用这种技术,把自己变成一个帅哥或者美女。
这听起来是不是很像电影里的故事?
但这确实就在我们的生活中发生了。
让我们来想象一个具体的例子。
有一个年轻人,我们叫他小李。
小李是一个很努力工作的人,但是他平时很忙,没有时间交朋友。
所以,他常常觉得很孤单。
有一天,他在网上认识了一个女孩子。
这个女孩子的照片非常漂亮,看起来也很温柔。
他们开始每天在网上聊天。
这个女孩子对小李非常好,每天早上都会发消息说“早安”,晚上也会说“晚安”。
她好像很了解小李,知道小李喜欢什么,不喜欢什么。
小李觉得,自己终于找到了真正的爱情。
为了确定这个女孩子是真的,小李要求和她视频。
他们在手机上视频了好几次。
在视频里,女孩子看起来和照片上一模一样。
她的声音很好听,说话也很幽默。
小李完全相信了她,觉得她就是自己在这个世界上最重要的人。
但是,小李不知道的是,这个“女孩子”其实并不存在。
视频里的那张脸,是电脑程序做出来的。
那个好听的声音,也是用变声软件改变过的。
在手机的另一头,可能是一个专门骗钱的坏人,甚至可能是一个男人。
这就是典型的AI感情骗局。
那么,这些坏人为什么要这么做呢?
他们的目的只有一个,那就是钱。
当小李完全信任这个女孩子之后,事情就会发生变化。
有一天,这个女孩子可能会突然告诉小李,她遇到了一些困难。
也许是她的家人生病了,需要去医院。
也许是她的生意出了问题,需要一些钱来解决。
或者,她会告诉小李一个“好消息”。
她说她知道一个很好的投资机会,只要投入一点钱,就能赚很多钱。
因为小李已经把她当成了女朋友,所以小李不会怀疑她。
小李会觉得,帮助女朋友是应该做的事情。
于是,小李就把自己的钱转给了她。
可是,一旦钱转过去了,这个女孩子就会消失。
小李再也联系不上她了。
这个时候,小李才发现自己被骗了。
这不仅仅是失去了钱,更重要的是,小李的感情受到了很大的伤害。
这种事情现在越来越多,我们必须提高警惕。
那么,我们应该怎么保护自己呢?
首先,我们要知道,AI技术虽然很厉害,但也不是没有缺点的。
在视频的时候,你可以仔细观察对方的脸。
如果是AI换脸,有时候脸的边缘会有点不自然。
特别是在光线变化的时候,或者对方快速移动的时候,脸部可能会出现奇怪的样子。
你可以要求对方做一些特殊的动作。
比如说,你可以让他把手指放在脸上,或者让他快速地转头。
目前的AI技术,在处理手和脸在一起的画面时,经常会出错。
如果你看到他的手指穿过了他的脸,或者脸突然变得模糊了,那肯定就是假的。
其次,我们要对网上的“完美”保持怀疑的态度。
在现实生活中,没有人是完美的。
如果一个人在网上对你特别好,从来不发脾气,而且条件特别好,那你就要小心了。
坏人往往会利用人们想要被爱的心理,创造一个完美的形象。
他们会根据你的朋友圈,了解你的爱好。
你喜欢什么,他们就假装也喜欢什么。
这样你会觉得你们很有缘分。
其实,这都是他们设计好的剧本。
另外,最重要的一点是,无论你们的关系有多好,都不要轻易给对方转钱。
真正的爱情,不应该建立在金钱的基础上。
如果一个人刚认识你不久,就向你要钱,或者让你投资,那他百分之百是骗子。
不管是借钱看病,还是带你赚钱,都不要相信。
你要记住,保护好自己的钱包,就是保护好自己的生活。
除了钱,还要保护好自己的个人信息。
不要把你的身份证号码、家庭地址或者银行卡密码告诉网上的陌生人。
因为坏人可能会利用这些信息来做更多坏事。
有些骗子甚至会录下你的视频,然后用AI技术换成你的脸,去骗你的家人和朋友。
所以,在网上聊天时,一定要注意保护自己的隐私。
虽然科技给我们带来了很多方便,让我们可以随时随地和朋友联系。
但是,科技也让坏人有了新的工具。
我们在享受科技带来的快乐时,也不能忘记安全。
面对网上的感情,我们要保持冷静的头脑。
不要因为孤单,就随便相信陌生人的甜言蜜语。
真正的感情是需要时间来证明的。
是需要在这个真实的世界里,面对面地去感受的。
如果在网上遇到了让你心动的人,一定要多问几个为什么。
你可以试着约他在现实生活中见面。
如果他总是找各种理由拒绝见面,比如他在国外,或者工作太忙,那你就要小心了。
一个真正喜欢你的人,是会想尽办法来见你的。
而不是只在手机屏幕里和你说话。
还有,如果你怀疑对方是骗子,可以和身边的朋友或者家人商量一下。
有时候,我们自己身在其中,可能看不清楚。
但是朋友和家人是旁观者,他们可能会发现很多你不注意的问题。
多听听别人的意见,往往能帮你避免很多麻烦。
现在,很多国家和警察部门也都在打击这种网络犯罪。
但是,骗子的手段也在不断变化。
所以,最重要的还是我们自己要提高防范意识。
不要觉得这种事情离你很远,它可能就发生在你或者你朋友的身边。
我们也要告诉家里的老人,因为他们可能不太了解这些新技术。
很多老人心地善良,很容易相信别人,所以更容易被骗。
我们要多关心家人,告诉他们这些知识,让他们也能保护自己。
在这个数字化的时代,信任变得越来越珍贵,也越来越脆弱。
我们希望每个人都能找到真爱,但不希望任何人因为寻找爱而受到伤害。
所以,当你在网上遇到那个“完美”的人时,请先停下来想一想。
这真的是命运的安排吗?
还是说,这只是一个精心设计的程序?
多一点理智,少一点冲动。
不要让你的善良被坏人利用。
只要我们大家都提高了警惕,骗子就没有机会了。
网络世界虽然很大,但只要我们心里有安全这根弦,就能避免很多危险。
希望大家在上网的时候,都能擦亮眼睛,看清楚什么是真,什么是假。
对于那些在网上认识的朋友,保持一份友好的同时,也要保持一份距离。
直到你们在现实生活中真正了解了彼此。
毕竟,真正的关心不仅仅是发几个表情包,或者打几个视频电话。
真正的关心是实实在在的陪伴和支持。
English transcript reference

Speaking of how many people nowadays like to find boyfriends or girlfriends online, we are going to discuss a very serious topic.

The internet is very convenient now; you can get to know people from all over the world on your phone.

Many people feel that finding love online is a very romantic thing.

However, have you ever thought that the person on the other side of the phone might not be a real person at all?

This is the issue we are going to discuss today: Is what you encountered love, or an AI scam?

We all know that current science and technology are developing very fast.

Especially artificial intelligence technology, which is what we often call AI, has become very smart.

In the past, if someone sent you a photo, you might doubt whether the photo was real.

So you would ask the other person to video chat with you.

Because in our impression, video is very hard to fake.

If I see his face and hear his voice in the video, then he must be real.

However, the situation now has completely changed.

Current AI technology can not only make fake photos but can even make fake videos.

This technology can swap one person's face with another person's face.

Even if it is a bad person, he can use this technology to turn himself into a handsome guy or a beautiful woman.

Doesn't this sound a lot like a story in a movie?

But this is indeed happening in our lives.

Let's imagine a concrete example.

There is a young person, let's call him Xiao Li.

Xiao Li is a very hard-working person, but he is usually very busy and has no time to make friends.

So, he often feels very lonely.

One day, he met a girl online.

This girl's photos were very beautiful, and she looked very gentle.

They started chatting online every day.

This girl was very good to Xiao Li; she would send a message saying "Good morning" every morning and "Good night" every evening.

She seemed to understand Xiao Li very well, knowing what Xiao Li liked and what he didn't like.

Xiao Li felt that he had finally found true love.

To verify that this girl was real, Xiao Li asked to video chat with her.

They video chatted on their phones several times.

In the video, the girl looked exactly the same as in the photos.

Her voice sounded very nice, and she spoke with humor.

Xiao Li completely believed her, feeling she was the most important person to him in this world.

However, what Xiao Li didn't know was that this "girl" actually didn't exist.

That face in the video was created by a computer program.

That pleasant voice was also altered using voice-changing software.

On the other end of the phone, it might be a bad person specializing in swindling money, or even a man.

This is a typical AI romance scam.

So, why do these bad people do this?

They have only one goal, and that is money.

After Xiao Li completely trusted this girl, things would change.

One day, this girl might suddenly tell Xiao Li that she has encountered some difficulties.

Perhaps her family member is sick and needs to go to the hospital.

Perhaps her business has problems and needs some money to resolve them.

Or, she might tell Xiao Li some "good news."

She says she knows a very good investment opportunity where investing just a little money can earn a lot.

Because Xiao Li already considered her his girlfriend, Xiao Li wouldn't suspect her.

Xiao Li would feel that helping his girlfriend is the right thing to do.

So, Xiao Li transferred his money to her.

But, once the money was transferred, this girl would disappear.

Xiao Li could never contact her again.

Only at this moment did Xiao Li realize he had been cheated.

This was not just losing money; more importantly, Xiao Li's feelings were greatly hurt.

These kinds of things are happening more and more now; we must increase our vigilance.

So, how should we protect ourselves?

First, we need to know that although AI technology is very powerful, it is not without flaws.

During the video call, you can carefully observe the other person's face.

If it is an AI face swap, sometimes the edges of the face will be a bit unnatural.

Especially when the lighting changes, or when the person moves quickly, the face might look strange.

You can ask the other person to do some special movements.

For example, you can ask him to put his finger on his face, or ask him to turn his head quickly.

Current AI technology often makes mistakes when processing images where hands and faces are together.

If you see his finger pass through his face, or the face suddenly becomes blurry, then it is definitely fake.

Secondly, we must maintain a skeptical attitude towards "perfection" online.

In real life, no one is perfect.

If a person is especially good to you online, never loses their temper, and has especially good conditions, then you have to be careful.

Bad people often exploit the psychology of people wanting to be loved to create a perfect image.

They will understand your hobbies based on your social media posts.

Whatever you like, they pretend to like it too.

This way you will feel that you two are destined for each other.

Actually, these are all scripts they have designed.

In addition, the most important point is, no matter how good your relationship is, do not easily transfer money to the other person.

True love should not be built on the foundation of money.

If someone asks you for money or asks you to invest shortly after meeting you, then he is 100% a scammer.

Whether it is borrowing money for medical treatment or taking you to make money, do not believe it.

You must remember, protecting your wallet is protecting your life.

Besides money, you also need to protect your personal information.

Do not tell your ID card number, home address, or bank card password to strangers online.

Because bad people might use this information to do more bad things.

Some scammers will even record your video, then use AI technology to swap it with your face to cheat your family and friends.

Therefore, when chatting online, you must pay attention to protecting your privacy.

Although technology has brought us a lot of convenience, allowing us to contact friends anytime and anywhere.

However, technology has also given bad people new tools.

While we enjoy the happiness brought by technology, we must not forget safety.

Facing online romance, we must keep a cool head.

Do not blindly believe the sweet words of strangers just because of loneliness.

True feelings need time to prove.

It needs to be felt face-to-face in this real world.

If you meet someone online who moves your heart, you must ask "why" a few more times.

You can try to ask him to meet in real life.

If he always finds various reasons to refuse to meet, such as being abroad or being too busy with work, then you have to be careful.

A person who truly likes you will try every means to see you.

Instead of just talking to you inside a phone screen.

Also, if you suspect the other person is a scammer, you can discuss it with friends or family around you.

Sometimes, when we are in the middle of it, we may not see clearly.

But friends and family are bystanders; they might discover many problems you didn't notice.

Listening to other people's opinions more often can help you avoid a lot of trouble.

Now, many countries and police departments are also fighting this kind of cybercrime.

However, the methods of scammers are also constantly changing.

Therefore, the most important thing is that we ourselves must improve our awareness of prevention.

Don't think this kind of thing is far away from you; it might happen right beside you or your friends.

We also need to tell the elderly at home, because they may not understand these new technologies very well.

Many elderly people have kind hearts and easily trust others, so they are more likely to be cheated.

We should care more about our family members, tell them this knowledge, so that they can also protect themselves.

In this digital age, trust has become increasingly precious and increasingly fragile.

We hope everyone can find true love, but we don't want anyone to get hurt because of looking for love.

So, when you meet that "perfect" person online, please stop and think first.

Is this really the arrangement of fate?

Or is this just a carefully designed program?

Have a little more reason, a little less impulse.

Don't let your kindness be exploited by bad people.

As long as we all increase our vigilance, scammers will have no chance.

Although the online world is big, as long as we keep safety in mind, we can avoid many dangers.

I hope everyone can keep their eyes open when going online, and see clearly what is real and what is fake.

For those friends met online, while maintaining friendliness, also maintain some distance.

Until you truly understand each other in real life.

After all, true care is not just sending a few emojis or making a few video calls.

True care is substantial companionship and support.

Listen again

Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

词汇
huáiyíto suspect; to doubt

A verb used when you question the truth or someone's motives.

yìnxiàngimpression

Noun. Often used in the structure '在……印象中' (in ...'s impression).

shènzhìeven; so much so that

Adverb/Conjunction used to emphasize a case that goes beyond expectation.

yōumòhumorous

Adjective describing someone with a sense of humor.

kùnnandifficulty; difficult

Can be a noun (facing difficulties) or an adjective.

shēngyibusiness; trade

Often used with '做' (to do business).

píqitemper

Commonly used in '发脾气' (to lose one's temper).

guójiācountry

HSK 1-3. country.

piànjúscam; fraud; hoax

A noun referring to a deceptive scheme.

réngōng zhìnéngartificial intelligence (AI)

Technical term. '人工' means artificial/man-made, '智能' means intelligence.

jǐngtìvigilance; alert; on guard

Verb/Adjective. To be on the lookout for danger.

gūdānlonely; alone

Adjective describing the feeling of loneliness.

móhublurry; vague

Adjective. Used here for visual blurriness in videos.

jùběnscript; scenario

Noun. The written text of a play or movie, here used metaphorically for a planned scam.

yǐnsīprivacy; private matters

Noun referring to personal secrets or private information.

cuìruòfragile; weak

Adjective. Easily broken or damaged (physically or emotionally).

* beyond level超纲词

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

语法
不但……甚至……↗

Not only... but even... (Used to emphasize that something goes beyond what is expected).

现在的AI技术,不但可以做假的照片,甚至可以做假的视频。

即使……也……↗

Even if... still... (Indicates that the result remains the same despite a hypothetical concession).

即使是一个坏人,他也可以利用这种技术,把自己变成一个帅哥或者美女。

把 + Object + Verb + Result↗

The 'Ba' construction creates a disposal sentence where the subject acts upon an object to change its state.

这种技术可以把一个人的脸换成另一个人的脸。

于是,小李就把自己的钱转给了她。

只要……就……↗

As long as... then... (Indicates a sufficient condition).

只要投入一点钱,就能赚很多钱。

只要我们大家都提高了警惕,骗子就没有机会了。

一旦……就……↗

Once... then... (Indicates that as soon as a condition is met, a result follows immediately).

可是,一旦钱转过去了,这个女孩子就会消失。

并不 / 并不是↗

Actually not / emphatic negative. Used to correct a misconception or emphasize a negative.

但是,小李不知道的是,这个“女孩子”其实并不存在。

Proper nouns

专有名词
小李Xiǎo LǐXiao Li (Young Li)

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