AI helps scam centres evade crackdown in Asia, dupe more victims
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AI allows scam operators to scale up at low cost, making them more willing to run the risk of being caught.
PHOTO: AFP
SINGAPORE - Criminals in South-east Asia are harnessing inexpensive AI tools to target bigger pools of potential victims at high speed, keeping scam centres humming even as governments try and crack down, senior officials at Interpol say.
Previously, some scams were easy to spot – from poor quality online ads luring people to work in such centres to the scams themselves, typically designed to make people part with their money through the promise of romance or investment returns.
Now, scammers are using large language models and other AI tools to make their cons more sophisticated. Artificial intelligence also allows them to change course quickly, shifting to newer targets and from fresh locations.
“You can see the efficiency with AI being utilised in scam centres,” said Dr Neal Jetton, who leads the Cybercrime Directorate at Interpol in Singapore. “It’s a pretty easy business model, and I think it’s going to get even easier for criminals with AI.” Among other things, AI helps with voice cloning and with using voice tools to create quick and realistic images for profiles, he said.
Scam centres’ embrace of AI comes as Cambodia cracks down following pressure from countries including the US, China and Thailand, with whom it recently fought another border war.
Chen Zhi, the alleged kingpin of an international syndicate
Rather than be eradicated, Interpol officials see scam centres as more likely to evolve. Simply put, AI allows operators to scale up at low cost, making them more willing to run the risk of being caught.
Several of the advancements centre around ads that promise jobs, according to Ms Stephanie Baroud, a criminal intelligence analyst with the human trafficking and migrant smuggling unit at Interpol in Lyon, France.
“Let’s say we were, before, looking at these ads and we would see red flags, mistakes that would tell you, okay, maybe this is not a very realistic looking ad,” she said. “Now, within seconds, you can actually generate a very realistic-looking ad just using the right prompts.”
“What we do know is that the use of AI now, whether by the organised groups themselves, by the potential trafficked victims, or by the people being scammed, it is likely reshaping the phenomenon,” she added. “AI is going to lead us into uncharted territory.”
There is little hard data on the cost to society of South-east Asia’s scam farms. That is in part because people do not always report being scammed. But experts agree it is high – and rising.
A US Institute of Peace report puts a conservative estimate for end-2023 of the annual value of funds stolen worldwide by transnational criminal networks operating illegal online gambling and scam operations at US$64 billion (S$81 billion).
On the flip side, AI also has the potential to be used by those chasing fraudsters. But that is only if they can keep up.
“The industry’s just become increasingly professionalised, which is concerning obviously with the sort of explosion of AI and the availability of it,” said Ms Julia Dickson, an associate fellow in the intelligence, national security and technology programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“We’re seeing them use large language models, things like ChatGPT to be able to craft really authentic sounding messages even in a language that they may not be fully fluent or a native speaker in,” Ms Dickson said.
“Then with deep fake technology, we’re seeing voice impersonation calls where people pretend to be someone’s child or grandchild and ask for money, video impersonation calls too,” she added. “So men can put on this basically mask and become a beautiful woman, and that helps them scam people all over the world.”
The ability to use technology anywhere may also reshape the scam landscape in terms of where centres are established. Interpol’s Ms Baroud said more operations are showing up in the Americas, Africa and Middle East.
Some have Asian elements, suggesting links to gangs in South-east Asia. “We’re also seeing some of these centres run by local people, local organised groups, and regional organised groups, which suggests the globalisation of the modus operandi itself.”
For now, the use of AI is not leading to fewer people being trafficked into South-east Asia, however.
“I haven’t seen a reduction in that, but I can certainly see it coming into play in the future, because why go to the trouble of bringing people to one country, trafficking them to another, and bribing officials?” according to Dr Jetton. “It takes a lot of work. Whereas you could just bring in fewer people and use AI to increase efficiency.”
Even with AI, scam operators will need recruiters and coordinators, he added. “You’ll need the people who handle the money. You’ll probably need those who coordinate with the money mules at the end, and you’ll need some engineers to get started,” he said. “But for the worker bees, I would see a decrease in them over time.” BLOOMBERG
