Bangkok: "Big Kong," Assistant Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, led a team to raid a scammer gang's lair, arresting four Chinese nationals who had moved their base from Cambodia and were hiding in the middle of the city. They discovered the advanced use of AI to edit clips to deceive the banking system.
According to Thai News Agency, Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanapheerasith Chulpiphop, along with Metropolitan Police Bureau 5 officers, raided a luxury condominium on Sukhumvit Soi 16, Khlong Toei District, Bangkok. Four suspects, all Chinese men aged 21-29, were arrested. The authorities seized two desktop computers used for face scanning and editing video, two laptops for compiling financial data for exporting money to Cambodia, 60 mobile phones, and two bags of Category 1 narcotics (ice) along with drug paraphernalia. In a separate operation, officers learned that several Chinese businessmen had fled Cambodia to hide in Thailand. They investigated the scene and discovered four suspects smuggling numerous computers and electronic devices into the luxury condominium. Investigators, disguised as building technicians, learned that the room in question was being used as a scammer's base, and conducted a raid.
The search revealed the room was a "war room," with computers still running. A preliminary investigation revealed it was a "financial scam for a scammer gang." This new innovation uses AI to trick the AI by inserting still images of the victims into the AI system, making them turn their heads left and right, blink, and open their mouths.
The AI-generated clip was then used to deceive banks and digital currency KYC systems (or Know Your Customer, which is a process for verifying and confirming customer identity to ensure service providers are real individuals). This is a very dangerous process because it can easily turn victims into suspects.
Police Lieutenant General Jiraphop Phuridet, Assistant Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, who led the operation himself, along with Police Major General Wasan Techa-akrakasem and Police Major General Teeradej Thamsuthee, Deputy Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, revealed that the suspects traveled from Cambodia to Thailand via Suvarnabhumi Airport approximately one month ago, using Chinese tourist visas. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects accepted a job modifying video clips and conducting financial transactions for a Chinese scammer group through an app, claiming they did not know the employer or Chinese boss. Previously, they received a monthly income of approximately 20,000-30,000 yuan (approximately 130,000 baht), and received additional bonuses for exceeding their targets. Previously, the suspects had traveled to countries linked to the scammer group, where they became acquainted with the network, which included one Malaysian and three Cambodians.
Initially, all four suspects confessed and were charged with "jointly being a member of a secret society, participating in a transnational criminal organization, and jointly possessing Category 1 narcotics (ice) without permission." Other charges are being investigated to identify those involved, including an investigation of all data containers from the suspects' computers.