Global Scam Industry Evolving at 'Unprecedented Scale' Despite Recent Crackdown

Online scam operations across Southeast Asia are rapidly adapting to recent crackdowns, adopting AI and expanding globally despite the release of 7,000 trafficking victims from compounds along the Myanmar-Thailand border, experts say. These releases represent just a fraction of an estimated 100,000 people trapped in facilities run by criminal syndicates that rake in billions through investment schemes and romance scams targeting victims worldwide, CNN reports.

"Billions of dollars are being invested in these kinds of businesses," said Kannavee Suebsang, a Thai lawmaker leading efforts to free those held in scam centers. "They will not stop." Crime groups are exploiting AI to write scamming scripts and using deepfakes to create personas, while networks have expanded to Africa, South Asia, and the Pacific region, according to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime. "This is a situation the region has never faced before," said John Wojcik, a UN organized crime analyst. "The evolving situation is trending towards something far more dangerous than scams alone."

Solution

[systemd-anonymousd]

I know the solution: block all incoming calls and web traffic from India, and redirect them into a boomer American simulator with voice and text.

Re:

[viperidaenz]

Finally, a use case for AI.
The AI hallucinations can be explained by dementia

Re:

[shanen]

Well, I commend you for trying to think of a solution, but you must be new around here. Slashdot and solution don't fit on the same website.

Also your suggested solution approach is worthless on (at least) two levels. One is that relatively few of the scams originate or are based in India, but the larger one is the technical countermeasure of VPN gateways.

The local police are trying to solve the problem with warning brochures that read more like "how to" manuals for the criminals. Not only helping the crooks

Re:

[shanen]

*sigh*

Should have been a reply to the FP. Or I should have qualified the "you" reference. The intervening comment seems to be some sort of AI joke in search of a funny mod.

I am not new around here and have no excuse. "Sir, no excuse, sir!"

Re:

[Ogive17]

One is that relatively few of the scams originate or are based in India

Every unrecognized number that calls my cell these days is either Indian or a robo call. They spoof the numbers to be from the same area code as my cell (even though I no longer live there).

These may be "legit" robo calls trying to sell a legit service but I associate them with scams and hang up immediately (I ignore most of the calls fwiw).

If the carriers would simply block spoofing - seems like problem mostly solved.

Re:

[viperidaenz]

Without a global directory of which carrier owns which number, how do you propose they block spoofing?
If the call comes from another network, they either accept the source number as it is, or pretend there is none.

Re:

[ihavesaxwithcollies]

I know the solution: block all incoming calls and web traffic from India, and redirect them into a boomer American simulator with voice and text.

Cue the "you need to replace leon now" phone calls. All it will take is $7000 in amazon gift cards to join the trump administration.

Trust, or lack thereof

[davidwr]

It's getting to the point where people and businesses are going to want to do large financial transactions in person, or at least have a "human chain of trust" to verify that everyone is who they say they are.

I for one wouldn't mind having to visit a notary before my non-local financial institution would let me withdraw/transfer-out more than a certain amount in a certain period of time.

Re:

[Fly Swatter]

It used to depositing your regular paycheck in person at a bank built up a familiarity between the tellers and client. When the client needed to make a big withdrawal or do some non-normal banking the teller already knew you by face and asking for proof of identity was just a formality.

It turns out being an anonymous number doesn't have as many benefits as you think, unless you trying to be dishonest.

Of course those tellers used to also have the same job almost for life, just like the bank had most cu

Global Scam Industry

[Anonymous Coward]

Has found a new friend with the American President

Business is looking up!

why?

[groobly]

Why do we in the US need to be connected to any southeast asian networks?

Re:

[Fly Swatter]

Why do we need to do important things on the internet? So far nothing has ever proved anything on the internet could be trusted, or at least trusted for long.