Scam Syndicates Hiring 'AI Face Models' for Deepfake Video Calls
Southeast Asian crime rings recruit real faces to power AI-generated video calls for crypto and romance scams.
Criminal operations across Southeast Asia have found a new gig role: AI face model. These organizations are actively recruiting people whose likenesses get fed into deepfake systems to run crypto and romance scams at industrial scale.
A WIRED investigation uncovered dozens of Telegram channels posting job listings specifically for these "AI face models." The setup is brutally efficient — some operations demand over 100 video calls per day, using the recruited faces to build fake trust with victims before draining their wallets.
The scam hubs, already notorious for trafficking and forced labor, are layering AI on top of their existing playbook. Deepfake video makes the cons far more convincing than text or static photos ever could. Victims think they're talking to a real person. They are — just not the one on screen.
It's social engineering scaled up with generative AI, and it's getting harder to spot.