ChatGPT Scams Uncovered: From Silly Schemes to Serious Political Manipulation

According to a recent threat report, OpenAI has uncovered several international operations where artificial intelligence models were utilized for cyberattacks, political manipulation, and job placement scams. These activities span countries from North Korea and Russia to Cambodia.

One of the fraud schemes detailed in the report involved the use of ChatGPT to create job advertisements in multiple languages. Victims were lured with promises of more than five US dollars for simply liking content on social media—a figure significantly higher than typical market rates, where 1,000 likes might cost less than ten dollars.

The scammers executed their tactics in three stages: initially capturing victims with unrealistic offers («ping»), then building trust through fake reviews and small payouts («zing»), and ultimately demanding fees for supposed entry costs or cryptocurrency payments («sting»).

OpenAI has also disrupted a Russian influence campaign in which ChatGPT was employed to produce content in German ahead of the 2025 federal elections in Germany. This operation, dubbed «Operation Helgoland Bite,» was conducted via the Telegram channel «Nachhall von Helgoland» and an X account boasting over 27,000 followers.

Additionally, OpenAI identified various campaigns linked to China. The «Sneer Review» published geopolitical commentary on TikTok and X, aiming to undermine critics such as Pakistani activist Mehrang Baloch.

In another operation called «VAGue Focus,» fake social media accounts were used to gather intelligence on Western entities. A third campaign, «Uncle Spam,» aimed to propagate controversial claims in U.S. political discussions, including topics like trade policy, and featured AI-generated images of supposed war veterans.

OpenAI has reported a total of ten international campaigns where malicious actors exploited AI models for fraudulent, political, or criminal activities.

[Source](https://the-decoder.com/chatgpt-scams-range-from-silly-money-making-ploys-to-calculated-political-meddling/)