Suspect allegedly used ChatGPT to impersonate others and fake US visa documents to defraud a Pakistani student who later died by suicide
Police sources in Islamabad allege that a suspect used ChatGPT to impersonate a woman who ran a tuck shop and her brother, who lived in the United States, sending a student fake documents tied to a promise to arrange a US visa. The student reportedly handed over money her father got from selling a plot of land, along with her stepmother's jewellery. According to police sources, she was given several changing visa interview dates, grew suspicious, found the documents were fake, and after the suspect cut off contact she died by suicide. The suspect was arrested; police suspect other women may have been defrauded the same way and plan a forensic examination of his phone, from which he reportedly deleted data. His guilt has not been established in court.
What the AI did
Police allege that the suspect used ChatGPT to impersonate a woman and her brother and to send the student fake documents tied to a promise of a US visa. It has not been reported exactly how the tool was used to create the messages or documents.
First reported October 12, 2026 · Added to the register October 20, 2026 · 3 sources
- Deaths
- 1
- Model
- ChatGPT
- Affected
- Laiba Ejaz, student, Laiba Ijaz, IIUI graduate
- Country
- Pakistan
- When it happened
- Not stated in the sources
- First reported
- October 12, 2026
What this means for you
Could this affect you?
If your staff, students or clients seek visas, jobs or study abroad through informal intermediaries. People who seek visas, jobs or study abroad through informal go-betweens could receive convincing AI-generated documents and impersonated messages, and police suspect several other women may have been defrauded the same way.
What to check
- Verify visa and immigration documents directly with the official embassy or government channels.
- Treat requests for money or valuables from intermediaries as a fraud warning sign.
Areas of your AI programme this touches
Timeline
- October 12, 2026First reported
- October 12, 2026Police sources said the suspect, arrested in Islamabad's H-13 sector, was handed over to police on a five-day physical remand by a judicial magistrate for further investigation.[2]
- October 13, 2026Police sources said the suspect had deleted data from his mobile phone before investigators could examine it; investigators hope forensic analysis will recover the deleted information.[3]
Every fact and its source (8)
- Body found2026-10-09“on Friday, October 9, after she discovered that the documents were fake”[2]
- Police responseForensic examination of suspect's phone planned“Police plan to conduct a forensic examination of the phone and attempt to recover the deleted data”[1]
- Possible further victimsSeveral other women may have been defrauded“Investigators suspect that Nauman may have defrauded several other women using a similar method.”[1]
- SuspectNauman, arrested“the suspect deleted all data from his mobile phone during the period before his arrest”[1]
- Other items handed overStepmother's jewellery“She had also handed over her stepmother’s jewellery to the suspect.”[1]
- Fake visa interview dates givenSeptember 1, September 17, September 26“first September 1, then September 17, and later September 26”[3]
- Evidence tamperingSuspect deleted phone data before examination“the suspect had deleted data from his mobile phone before investigators could examine it”[3]
- Suspect remandFive-day physical remand“was handed over to police on a five-day physical remand by a judicial magistrate today”[2]
Sources
- Laiba Ejaz case: Suspect allegedly used ChatGPT to fake US visa documentsen.dailypakistan.com.pk · October 12, 2026
- Laiba suicide case: Suspect 'used ChatGPT to defraud' IIUI graduate in US visa scamgeo.tv · October 12, 2026
- Laiba suicide case: How suspect used ChatGPT to deceive student in US visa scampakobserver.net · October 13, 2026
How this record is classified. Severity M (4/5): harm to individuals, or a policy breach with limited reach. OECD level: incident, an event in which an AI system led to actual harm. Evidence: Reported, meaning press reporting only.
The facts in At a glance and in Every fact and its source are quoted from the sources listed. The summary, What the AI did and What this means for you are written from those sources and checked against them automatically before publication. Records reflect what has been disclosed, not everything that has happened. Incidents are found through news feeds and the GDELT Project.
