Criminal syndicates operating scam centers in Southeast Asia are adopting inexpensive artificial-intelligence tools to widen their reach and keep operations running even as governments intensify crackdowns, senior Interpol officials told Bloomberg.

Scams that were once easier to detect because of low-quality job ads used to recruit workers or clumsy scripts used to lure victims into romance and investment cons are becoming more convincing thanks to AI. Scammers are using large language models and other AI tools to produce more polished outreach and to pivot quickly to new victim pools and new operating locations, the news agency said. 

“You can see the efficiency with AI being utilized in scam centers,” Neal Jetton, who leads Interpol’s Cybercrime Directorate in Singapore, told Bloomberg. Jetton said the model is “pretty easy” and will likely become even easier as AI helps with voice cloning and with generating quick, realistic images for fake online profiles.

The shift comes as Cambodia steps up enforcement against scam centers amid pressure from the United States, China, and Thailand to act. But Interpol officials expect scam centers to adapt rather than disappear, with AI lowering costs and allowing operators to scale up, Bloomberg said. 

Stephanie Baroud, a criminal intelligence analyst with Interpol’s human trafficking and migrant smuggling unit in Lyon, told the news outlet that AI is likely “reshaping the phenomenon,” whether used by organized criminal groups, trafficked workers, or the victims being targeted. 

“AI is going to lead us into uncharted territory,” she told the news outlet. 

The U.S. Institute of Peace estimates that transnational criminal networks stole a conservative $64 billion annually through illegal online gambling and scam operations, as of the end of 2023. 

Read more at Bloomberg