Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Jan 15 warned the public against falling for AI-powered scams after she personally escaped a con artist impersonating an Asean leader.
Speaking at a policy meeting for the fiscal 2026 budget, the premier said she was targeted by a call centre gang using artificial intelligence to mimic the voice of a neighbouring country’s leader. The scammer attempted to solicit a donation on behalf of his “country”.
Ms Paetongtarn said the scammer initially sent her a voice clip through a chat application, which was not Line. The message introduced the supposed leader, who expressed interest in cooperating with her on international matters.
Ms Paetongtarn said she responded via text messages and the con artist wrote back saying he would contact her later.
The scammer then called her at 11pm via the same app, but she did not answer the call as she was in bed.
The following morning, she said, she discovered the missed call and sent an apology, asking the scammer to call her back at a specific time.
The scammer then sent her another voice clip asking for a donation, falsely claiming that Thailand was the only Asean nation yet to contribute to the cause.
“This voice message made me realise that I was being deceived. The bank account number provided did not belong to the neighbouring country either,” Ms Paetongtarn said.
She later instructed Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Chantararuangthong, who doubles as Deputy PM, to conduct an investigation.
Ms Paetongtarn said she suspects the scammers got her contact from someone close to her who had fallen victim to the gang, and reminded everyone to be vigilant against such AI-driven scams.
She added that she did not inform the leader of the neighbouring country who was impersonated.
“I want to remind everyone to be cautious when receiving voice messages or calls, even if they seem authentic,” she said. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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