Asian scammers rip off millions using political leaders’ images | #cybercrime | #infosec

Imagine getting a private invitation to meet your country’s prime minister. The video call looks real. The leaders sound real. The officials on screen seem genuine. You thank them, trust them, and minutes later, US$3.8 million is gone. This isn’t science fiction. It is the terrifying new face of cybercrime, where artificial intelligence is turning the images and voices of trusted political leaders into powerful weapons for global scam syndicates.

For example, one victim in Singapore reportedly received a WhatsApp message claiming to be from the Secretary to the Cabinet, inviting him to a confidential Zoom meeting. What followed was an elaborate fake summit featuring AI-generated versions of Singapore’s prime minister, president, cabinet ministers and even foreign dignitaries discussing funding linked to the Strait of Hormuz.The fake prime minister thanked the victim for attending before a fake lawyer took over the call. By the end of it, US$3.8 million had disappeared into an account that no longer exists.

This is no longer an isolated crime. Across Southeast Asia, scammers are reportedly cloning the faces and voices of political leaders to exploit the one thing no security software can fully protect: human trust. Experts say these scams succeed because most people are conditioned to trust and respect authority, making them more likely to comply before they question.

In Indonesia, shortly after Prabowo Subianto’s election victory, a convincing AI-generated video reportedly appeared to show him offering government aid. Thousands reportedly believed it. Victims across 20 provinces paid so-called administrative fees of up to US$55 for benefits that never existed.

In the Philippines, fraudsters used President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s face in a deepfake video promoting an online trading scheme. One victim reportedly lost US$1.5 million before realising it was all fake.

An Interpol report released in June called AI-powered crime one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing threats. The organisation further claimed that discussions about deepfake technology on criminal forums surged by 600 per cent during a five-month period in 2024.The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has also warned that AI tools are becoming a standard part of scam operations across Southeast Asia and beyond. Interpol estimates that global cybercrime losses reached US$10.5 trillion in 2025, with the threat expected to grow sharply by the end of the decade.

Experts say the best defence is simple: never trust a high-stakes request simply because it looks or sounds authentic.

Don’t reply through the same message or caller. Instead, verify the request through a completely different channel. Call the person directly, use another platform, or meet them in person if possible. And ask an unexpected question. AI can copy a face and clone a voice, but it often struggles when forced off script.