THAILAND: Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra almost fell victim to a phone scam that used artificial intelligence technology to impersonate the voices of world leaders, AFP news agency sources reported.
The Thai prime minister, the youngest daughter of telecom tycoon and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, claimed on January 15 that she had received a voicemail that sounded like a famous leader, but she declined to be named. “In the voicemail, this famous leader said he was looking forward to meeting me and working together,” she said.
She missed a call from the same number that night before receiving a second voicemail the next day, which made her very suspicious. “The voicemail said that Thailand was the only ASEAN country that had not yet donated money to a bank account outside Thailand. When I heard that, I thought, ‘This is a scam.’” However, the 38-year-old, the youngest prime minister in Thailand’s history, did not say when she received the voicemail.
This activity is becoming increasingly common in Thailand, with scammers posing as police, government officials or bank employees and often using automated AI calls to make initial contact.
Phatthongtham Shinawatra last week declared her net worth of more than $400 million to the Thai Anti-Corruption Commission, a factor that attracted the scammers, who almost made her a victim. Her father, who once owned English Premier League club Manchester City, is reported by business magazine Forbes to have a net worth of $2.1 billion, making him the 10th richest person in Thailand. Quote: AFP
