Thai PM says nearly fell for foreign leader phone scam

Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra revealed on Wednesday that she was nearly deceived by a sophisticated phone scam using artificial intelligence to mimic the voice of a foreign leader.

Paetongtarn, the 38-year-old daughter of billionaire and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said the scam began with a voice message from an individual who sounded identical to a well-known global leader.

Though she initially declined to identify the person, the message seemed credible.

"In the clip, he said he was looking forward to seeing me and working together," Paetongtarn said.

After missing a call from the same number overnight, she received another message the next day. This time, the caller's claim raised suspicions.

"The voice said Thailand is the only ASEAN country that has not yet donated. When I heard that, I thought, 'This is not right,'" she explained.

The scam became clear when a follow-up text message requested money be sent to an international bank account.

"I knew it for sure when I saw that," Paetongtarn said, without specifying when the incident occurred.

In Thailand, “call center scams” are a persistent issue. These scams often involve fraudsters impersonating officials or financial institutions. The initial contact for these schemes is frequently robocalls.

The attempted scam targeting the prime minister underscores the growing threat of AI-powered fraud.

Paetongtarn, who recently declared assets exceeding $400 million to Thailand’s anti-corruption commission, is part of a family known for its wealth and influence.

Her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former owner of Manchester City football club, has a net worth of $2.1 billion, according to Forbes, ranking him as Thailand’s 10th-richest individual.