Case thailand-poipet-ai-police-scamDeepfake fraudThailand
Thai police arrest two from Poipet gang using AI face-altering to pose as police
Thai police arrested two members of a Poipet, Cambodia call centre that used AI to alter faces on video calls while posing as police; 163 victims, including Charlotte Austin who lost 4 million baht (about $118,000).
HighAttack using AIStatus: Under investigationVerified case file
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- Reported
- Feb 4, 2025
- Location
- Thailand
- Target
- Thai residents including beauty queen Charlotte Austin
- Severity
- High
- Triggered by
- Poipet-based call-centre gang run by Chinese leaders with Thai members
- Actor type
- Criminal
- Reported loss
- $118K
- CVE
- None
What happened
Thai police arrested two members of a Poipet, Cambodia call centre that used AI to alter faces on video calls while posing as police; 163 victims, including Charlotte Austin who lost 4 million baht (about $118,000).
Impact: At least 163 victims; the most prominent lost about 4 million baht; total losses not published
Who triggered it
Actor: Poipet-based call-centre gang run by Chinese leaders with Thai members
Attribution: Thai police arrested Ramil Pantawong and Thanawut Kanyaphan as alleged gang members; scripts said to come from Chinese gang leaders in Cambodia
Motive: Financial gain through law-enforcement impersonation fraud
How it happened
Attack vector: Video calls in which scammers used AI face-altering tools to appear as uniformed Thai police officers, telling victims they were under investigation and must transfer funds
Root cause: Real-time AI face manipulation defeated victims' visual verification of officials; cross-border scam compounds beyond Thai jurisdiction
Timeline
- Charlotte Austin transfers 4 million baht after video calls with fake police officers
- Thai police announce two arrests and identify at least 163 victims of the Poipet gang
Response
Two arrests in Thailand; investigation into the Cambodia-based operation continued
Current status: Under investigation
Sources (open in a new tab)
- Bangkok Post bangkokpost.com
- South China Morning Post scmp.com
- AI Incident Database incidentdatabase.ai
Cite this case
Thai police arrest two from Poipet gang using AI face-altering to pose as police. AI Threat Watch, case thailand-poipet-ai-police-scam, Feb 4, 2025. https://aithreat.io/cases/thailand-poipet-ai-police-scam/
Permanent link: https://aithreat.io/cases/thailand-poipet-ai-police-scam/