Two men arrested for AI-aided police impersonation scam in Thailand
Thai police arrested two men for operating an AI-powered phone scam that impersonated police officers to defraud victims of money. The scam gang, based in Cambodia and led by Chinese operators, tricked 163 people including a beauty queen who lost 4 million baht by using artificial intelligence to pose as law enforcement investigating money laundering and drug cases.
What happened
Ramil Pantawong, 31, and Thanawut Kanyaphan, 28, were arrested by Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau for operating a call scam centre based in an 18-storey building in Poipet with approximately 50 members.
The suspects used AI technology to impersonate Thai police officers and followed scripts written by Chinese gang leaders to deceive victims into transferring money for alleged money-laundering and narcotics investigations.
Reported impact
The scam gang defrauded 163 people before the arrests, including Thai-British beauty queen Charlotte Austin who lost 4 million baht.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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