B
enzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may receive commissions from the links below. Reports indicate that Chinese‑led criminal groups operating in Asian “scam compounds” employ OpenAI’s ChatGPT to target U.S. real‑estate agents. Okindo, a former scam participant rescued from a Bangkok compound earlier this year, told Reuters that he and others were compelled to use the free version of ChatGPT to draft persuasive messages that lured Americans into fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes. This tactic, known as “pig‑butchering,” builds trust before siphoning funds. OpenAI has yet to comment on the claim.
Okindo’s account was verified by a representative of HAART Kenya, an anti‑trafficking organization that aided his rescue. His story mirrors those of other forced laborers interviewed by Reuters. The scam involved posing as a wealthy investor on property sites like Zillow.com to attract U.S. agents. Each day, the group was instructed to convince at least two agents to invest in nonexistent opportunities while maintaining contact with a minimum of ten “clients.” Okindo admitted that ChatGPT helped create new strategies that sometimes succeeded in extracting additional money from previous victims. “It was really efficient, working with the AI,” he said.
The incident highlights growing concerns about AI misuse in fraud. OpenAI claims it actively works to detect and disrupt such activities, following warnings from industry leaders about AI’s potential to bypass current authentication methods. Similar AI‑driven scams, including deepfake impersonations that damage corporate reputations, continue to emerge.
