We are all susceptible to the swift propagation of phone scams, even world leaders, as recently demonstrated by Thailand’s Prime Minister. Paetongtarn Shinawatra disclosed that she received a call from an AI system impersonating the voice of a prominent global figure.
Although Paetongtarn did not disclose the identity of the leader being mimicked by the AI, she recounted receiving a message in a voice remarkably similar to that of a well-known individual. “The voice was distinct, and I immediately recognized it. Initially, they sent a voice clip with a message like, ‘How are you? I want to collaborate,’ and similar phrases,” Paetongtarn revealed.
Subsequently, she missed a call from the same number before receiving a direct voice message asking for a donation. The message emphasized, “You are the only country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that has not made a donation yet.” This request caught Paetongtarn off guard, prompting her to realize that something was amiss.
According to Paetongtarn, the sender of the message likely utilized AI technology to replicate the voice of the unidentified world leader. Phone scams and scam centers are prevalent in Southeast Asia, where transnational crime syndicates have leveraged technological advancements and the turmoil in Myanmar to establish a lucrative industry defrauding individuals worldwide.
In a recent incident, a Chinese actor traveled to Bangkok under the impression of attending a film audition but was instead taken to a scam center in Myawaddy, Myanmar, a notorious cyber-fraud hub near the Thai border. This deceptive practice not only affects individuals seeking legitimate opportunities but also ensnares them in criminal activities, such as stealing cryptocurrency.
While current scams predominantly rely on phone calls and conventional messaging methods, concerns have been raised about the potential proliferation of AI-driven scams that could exploit voice cloning technology to target millions of unsuspecting victims. Last year, OpenAI, the developer of the generative AI chatbot ChatGPT, revealed its Voice Engine tool capable of replicating voices but refrained from releasing it to the public due to concerns about potential misuse of synthetic voices.
Paetongtarn, who embarked on her political journey in 2021 as the head of the Pheu Thai Party’s Inclusion and Innovation Advisory Committee, assumed office as Prime Minister in August 2024. She is the third member of her family’s political lineage to serve as Prime Minister, following in the footsteps of her father and aunt, who held the position for five and three years, respectively.
The threat of phone scams and fraudulent schemes extends beyond high-profile individuals to thousands of ordinary individuals enticed to Thailand with promises of legitimate employment only to find themselves trafficked to criminal hubs in Myanmar. These individuals are often coerced into illegal activities and forced to participate in cyber fraud schemes.
The evolving landscape of AI technology poses a significant risk, with the potential for malicious actors to abuse voice replication capabilities for illicit purposes. As advancements in AI continue to
