Two arrested in AI-aided call scam targeting Thai beauty queen
Thai police arrested two men allegedly running a call scam centre in Cambodia that used AI technology to alter their faces and impersonate police officers, defrauding at least 163 people including a Thai-British beauty queen who lost 4 million baht.
What happened
Police arrested Ramil Pantawong, 31, and Thanawut Kanyaphan, 28, on Sunday in Thailand for allegedly operating a call scam centre based on the 13th floor of an 18-storey building in Poipet, Cambodia, with about 50 members. The suspects allegedly used AI technology to alter their faces and pretend to be Thai police officers, calling victims and claiming to investigate money-laundering and narcotics cases.
The suspects told victims they needed to transfer money to accounts for examination. The scam gang had allegedly tricked 163 people before the arrests, according to the Central Investigation Bureau commissioner. Thai-British beauty queen Charlotte Austin lost 4 million baht to the gang.
Reported impact
Thai-British beauty queen Charlotte Austin was a victim who lost 4 million baht to the gang. The scam centre had allegedly defrauded 163 people in total.
Index analysis
AI technology was used to alter faces in video calls, making it difficult for authorities to identify perpetrators. The suspects said they had been recruited via social media with promises of administrative work for a gambling website, but upon arrival their passports and phones were confiscated and they were forced to work for the call centre.
Governance controls
The Central Investigation Bureau noted that due to the cross-border nature of the operation, cooperation with the Foreign Ministry is necessary to address the call centre gang problem. Investigators tracked money flow and discovered stolen funds were converted into digital assets and laundered through multiple currencies before distribution among gang members.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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