Thaksin claims scammers used AI-generated Trump voice to try to dupe PM

A call centre gang in Myanmar recently used the AI generated voice of President-elect Donald Trump to call Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, in an attempt to persuade her to transfer money to an organisation in Hong Kong, claims former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Paetongtarn, his youngest daughter, did not fall for the trick.

Thaksin, who is campaigning in north-eastern provinces for Pheu Thai party candidates, ahead of the February 1st Provincial Administration Organisation (PAO) elections, said that both Myanmar and Cambodia have pledged full support in the crackdown on call centres in their countries.

He added that he hopes call centre gangs will be closed down this year.

Meanwhile, Pol Maj-Gen Niwet Apawasin, deputy commissioner of the Technology Crime Suppression Bureau, said that call centre gangs have now resorted to AI technology to imitate voices of celebrities in their attempts to dupe their targets.

The gangs have access to the original voices from the media or by calling them. They then use AI to imitate them, he said, adding that the use of AI-generated voices in scams is still limited.

He also said that scammers can also use pre-installed applications in smartphones to steal personal data or money from the bank accounts of the phone users.

Pol Col Suraphong Plengkham, director of the Personal Data Protection Committee, said that some unscrupulous people working for mobile phone service providers may be selling personal data of phone users to the scam gangs.

He suggested that members of the public do not give away their ID card numbers to anyone with whom they are not familiar.