Thailand’s prime minister targeted in ASEAN AI voice scam
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Occurred: January 2025
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A sophisticated AI-powered phone scam mimicking the voice of a fellow ASEAN leader targeted Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, prompting concerns about the growing threat of AI-enabled fraud.
What happened
What happened
Paetongtarn received a voice message from a scammer using AI-cloned voice technology to impersonate a well-known global leader.
The scammer initially sent a friendly message, followed by a missed call and a subsequent voice message demanding a donation, claiming Thailand was the only ASEAN country that had not contributed.
The prime minister recognised the deception, but confessed she was shocked by its sophistication.
Why it happened
Why it happened
The incident occurred due to the rapid advancement and accessibility of AI voice cloning technology, which is now available to anyone at very little or no cost and, often, with few restrictions on how it can be used.
Voice cloning uses artificial intelligence, deep learning and speech synthesis to replicate the unique characteristics of a human voice, including tone, pitch, accent, and speaking style, with as little as 30 seconds of audio input.
Transnational crime syndicates in Southeast Asia and elsewhere are known to be exploiting AI and other technologies to build massive scam operations.
What it means
What it means
The incident demonstrates that high-ranking officials and others in the public eye are vulnerable to sophisticated and increasingly realistic AI-powered scams. It also raises concerns about Thai government security.
More broadly, it highlights the misuse of artificial intelligence for fraud, identity theft and misinformation campaigns and the need for increased public awareness about the evolving nature of scams.
System 🤖
System 🤖
Unknown
Operator:
Developer:
Country: Thailand
Sector: Politics
Purpose: Defraud
Technology: Machine learning; Speech synthesis
Issue: Authenticity; Security
Page info
Type: Incident
Published: February 2025
Page updated
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