Thai Prime Minister Receives Scam Voice Message Impersonating Another Country's Leader
Jan 17, 2025
Bangkok [Thailand], January 17: Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra revealed that she received a voice message asking for a money transfer in an AI-impersonated voice of another prominent head of state.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra did not reveal whose voice the AI impersonated in the scam call, but said she received a text message with a voice identical to a famous leader, according to CNN on January 16.
"The voice was very clear and I recognized it right away. First, they sent a recording, saying something like how are you, I want to cooperate," Ms. Paetongtarn affirmed.
Ms Paetongtarn added that she then missed a call from the same number before receiving a voice message. "They sent another voice message asking for donations, saying you are the only country in the (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) that has not donated and emphasizing that. I was shocked at that moment and then realized something was wrong," Ms Paetongtarn shared.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn said that whoever sent the message "probably used AI to get the voice" of a prominent head of state. She did not name the head of state.
In recent years, investigators say transnational criminal organizations have taken advantage of technological advances and the civil war in Myanmar to build a multibillion-dollar industry that defrauds people around the world, according to CNN.
While many scams are using traditional phone calls and text messages, there have been warnings that as AI technology advances, millions of people could fall victim to scams that use artificial intelligence to impersonate their voices.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
