What is the “Truman Show” scam? These investment scams where AI scripts everything

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Researchers from the cybersecurity company Check Point revealed on January 9, 2026 a scam emblematic of the advent of AI in the industrialization of online scams. Named the “ Truman Show Scam “, it is an entirely artificial financial operation that locks its victims into a fabricated trading reality.

The starting point of this scam dates back to the fall of 2025, with the launch online of a platform called O-PCOPRO, presented as a trading program based on advanced AI technology, but which turns out to be the central element of a multi-step scam.

However, in the course of the scam, O‑PCOPRO only appears at the end of the process. At the end of a scenario generated and orchestrated by artificial intelligence, with a single objective: to trap victims attracted by the promise of spectacular investment gains.

In a report sent to Numerama on January 9, 2026, researchers from Check Point Research have reconstituted this entire robotic ecosystem, which they compare to a real “ Truman Show », in reference to the character locked in a scripted universe played by Jim Carrey.

At the time of writing this article, the cybercriminal campaign is still in progress: the O‑PCOPRO mobile application has been removed from the Google Play Store, but remains available on the Apple App Store, while several websites linked to the brand remain active.

O-PCOPRO on the AppStore // Source: Numerama screenshot — O-PCOPRO on the AppStore. // Source: Numerama screenshot

A group according to the language of the victim

The scam follows a very specific scenario, which always starts the same way. People first receive unsolicited messages, by SMS or via instant messaging like WhatsApp or Telegram, sent in the name of big banks like “ Goldman Sachs ”, promising them action “ which explodes » with spectacular returns of over 70%, accompanied by a link to a WhatsApp group presented as a serious and selective investment circle.

Once in this group, the victim discovers an environment that appears coherent and reassuring, where the language used is adapted to their location and where around forty profiles behave like ordinary investors, asking questions, sharing their successes and regularly thanking the organizers.

In the case studies presented by the researchers, two central figures dominate the exchanges: Benjamin Levine, supposed senior analyst, and Mia Green, presented as his assistant and main point of contact.

Their photos and identities are generated by AI tools, no trace of either “ experts » is not available online, and the same goes for almost all of the other members of the group, whose messages are very similar.

The tricks may seem crude, but the scam relies on the naivety of a fraction of the people exposed and on the automation offered by AI, which makes it possible to create these false ecosystems at very low cost in time and resources.

The path to O-PCOPRO

Everything in this false world aims to reassure the victim, who is in reality the only real human person behind the screen. The fakes experts » publish market analyzes whose prices in no way correspond to the real prices of shares, and present O‑PCOPRO as the secret of their performance.

In the conversation, press articles and press releases generated by AI further inflate the supposed “ legitimacy » of the platform, by multiplying the mentions of O-PCOPRO on fake financial news sites.

It is only at this stage that the mobile application really comes into play. After several weeks of positive interactions in the group, the organizers announced that some members “ deserving » can access a trading platform reserved for insiders: the O‑PCOPRO app, available for download on the official stores.

For researchers, this passage through legitimate channels plays a crucial role for the continuation of the scam: “ Many users equate Store availability with a form of legitimacy, a sign of trust that attackers deliberately exploit.. »

The final assault

The application presents itself as a professional tool operated by large institutions and relying on AI to generate impressive returns, sometimes announced between 370% and 700% in a few months.

A technical analysis of the app, however, reveals that it is nothing more than a simple WebView shell, a facade that simply loads a site controlled by the crooks: everything that is displayed on the screen (graphs, balances, trade history) is generated on the server side, without any real trading logic.

Once the application is installed, the scenario switches to a more traditional operating phase. Before being able to invest », the user must pass a pseudo-identity verification which imitates the procedures of regulated platforms, with sending photos of identity documents, documents which can then be resold on Dark Web marketplaces.

Finally comes the final assault: the platform invites you to make a deposit, by bank transfer or in cryptocurrency, to accounts or wallets controlled by the attackers. The user’s balance is then credited and the amounts artificially increase, encouraging the victim to invest even more and completing a circle where, from the beginning to the end of the process, they are carried through the scam without the slightest direct human intervention.