Chapter 2
My eyes widened, staring at my brother in disbelief.
A female officer stepped forward to explain. “Sir, please try to understand the situation first. Chloe was a victim of an AI deepfake scam; Serena is also a victim here.”
“Caleb,” I said, my voice tinged with disappointment, “Chloe just slapped me. It really hurts.”
Caleb glanced around, seeing the crowd holding up their phones, hungry for drama, and waved his hand impatiently.
“Oh, please. Chloe was scammed out of seventy-five thousand. She’s way worse off than you are. How can you be so heartless?”
I continued to numbly play the role of the internet celebrity betrayed by her own brother. “Caleb, am I your sister or your enemy?”
He tried to grab my arm, but I pulled away.
Noticing everyone around us was filming, I pretended to wipe my face, a subtle smirk playing on my lips.
Caleb and I headed to the Cybercrime Investigation Center together.
“Stop pouting,” Caleb grumbled loudly. “So what if Chloe was a little emotional? She lost seventy-five grand, it’s understandable. Can’t you just be the bigger person?”
When there was no audience, I simply looked at Caleb, my expression cool and collected.
He sheepishly shut his mouth.
Caleb was my actual brother, and my fans all knew him as my valuable “assistant” in my career.
After I blew up online, I started to pivot, creating couple-themed content, with Caleb playing my boyfriend.
But in reality, he was nothing more than a convenient prop I’d carefully selected.
Now, with Chloe’s little stunt, I figured it was time to cut him loose.
As I quickly strategized how to sever ties with Caleb without hurting my account’s numbers, I asked the staff about Chloe’s situation.
Soon, investigators confirmed that Chloe had indeed fallen victim to an AI deepfake scam.
On a niche social media platform called “GlamMirror” with only about ten thousand users, someone had used AI technology to synthesize my photos and videos, mimicked my voice, and impersonated me.
Chloe, thinking it was me, didn’t verify and simply believed the scammer’s request for money, transferring seventy-five thousand dollars to a specified account.
But Chloe still insisted the account was mine, that the money was in my hands, and that I needed to pay her back.
Caleb sighed after hearing the details. “Chloe was so good to you, lending you seventy-five thousand just like that. So loyal. And you? She’s on her knees begging you, and you won’t budge. You’re truly ruthless.”
I ignored Caleb and raised a question.
“Chloe was scammed at 5 PM yesterday. I was in my storage room selecting products at that exact time, and she lives right next door. Why didn’t she just ask me directly?”
Chloe retorted, “Everyone knows you’re a big influencer, you’re so image-conscious. That’s why you didn’t want to ask me for a loan face-to-face, you just SnapChatted me. So I transferred the money.”
“If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have given you the money. Officer, I have proof, that account was definitely Serena’s,” Chloe said excitedly.
A familiar female officer next to me shook her head helplessly.
Caleb sighed again, “Chloe, you’re truly something. Don’t worry, Chloe, I’ll make sure Serena gives you an explanation.”
I elbowed Caleb hard.
Caleb winced. “Serena, you really are partly responsible for this. You’re a public figure, and you’ve even done anti-scam PSAs before. You should take more responsibility.”
“If you had just registered an account on that platform earlier, you wouldn’t have been impersonated, and Chloe wouldn’t have fallen for it,” Caleb said, as if it were obvious.
I threw my hands up, exasperated by my cluelessly naive brother’s comments.
Chloe clung to her story, insisting the account was mine, crying endlessly about how important the money was to her.
Caleb was even more indignant. “Don’t worry, Chloe, I’ll give you Serena’s debit card. You can use it to buy whatever you need these next few days.”
In an unnoticed corner, Chloe suddenly turned to me.
“Serena, who told you to be an influencer? It’s your fault you make money easily. I swear, I’ll make you pay me back for this.”