Japanese teens arrested for using ChatGPT to create illegal phone contracts
The Yomiuri Shimbun and other media outlets have reported that three males, aged 14, 15, and 16, were arrested for allegedly developing a program with ChatGPT to generate fake contracts and hack into the Rakuten Mobile phone network.
According to reports, the two high school students and a middle-schooler illegally purchased individuals' credit card details, ID information, and passwords online. These acquired data were then fed into the AI program to fabricate the fake contracts.
Legal Consequences
A police spokesperson informed AFP that two of the teenagers were taken into custody on Tuesday on suspicion of violating the unauthorized access prohibition act and engaging in computer fraud.
Reports from Kyodo News revealed that the students managed to sell over 2,500 illicit contracts, amounting to approximately JPY7.5 million (US$50,000) in cryptocurrency. This information was cited from undisclosed police sources.
Unauthorized Data Purchases
Additionally, the teenagers reportedly obtained more than 3.3 billion IDs and passwords from an individual they encountered on the encrypted messaging platform Telegram. Anonymous investigative sources highlighted this information in Japanese media reports.
Rakuten, the e-commerce giant that owns Rakuten Mobile, issued a cautionary statement to its customers urging them to be cautious of unfamiliar contracts. The company acknowledged the misuse of acquired IDs and passwords in creating fraudulent mobile phone contracts.
Cooperation with Authorities
Rakuten stated that they are fully cooperating with the police investigation, have ceased the use of illegal phone contracts, and have enforced password resets in response to the situation.
The company, known for its messaging service Viber, expressed regret over the incident and assured that no data breaches occurred internally. The company emphasized its commitment to resolving the issue and maintaining customer trust.
