“100 video calls a day”: Models step forward to be the face of AI scams

Other posts list as many as 150 potential calls per day. Another ad read: “Filters can be used, but make sure the image is realistic. Live videos are allowed, wigs are prohibited.” To get this privilege, a person will allegedly get one full day and four and a half days off per month. Another ad lists working hours between 10pm and 10am in Cambodia and preferably someone with a “Western accent”. A typical job ad says: “The company will hold your passport for visa and work permit management.” Taking people’s passports is one of the primary ways complex operators defraud the people into being held captive.

While a few men are applying for AI modeling roles, the vast majority of applications seen by WIRED were from young women, most in their early 20s. Applicants are asked to submit a short video introducing themselves, text about their experience and expectations and photographs of themselves; Some are asked to include their marital status and “vaccination” status.

“I have worked for more than three years with Chinese companies on different types of projects including stock market, cryptocurrency, and love story,” one person says in a recruitment video. Another says: “Based on my experience, I am good at dealing with clients, convincing them to invest using my techniques and discussing how gold trading benefits them.”

Video applications do not contain full names or contact details, so WIRED was unable to contact applicants for the roles.

Modeling applicants require salaries of up to $7,000 per month, according to Humanity Research Consultancy. They also make specific requests about their working conditions, many of which may not be provided to people trafficked into scams. One woman asked for her own room and “she could go out.” Another asked that they could “come home on a day off” and have a “personal washing machine”.

Although some models are recruited for roles and may receive more freedoms than victims of human trafficking, says Ling Li, co-founder of the nonprofit group EOS, which works with victims of the fraud industry, they may still face harsh treatment from their bosses. “One European victim told us he saw some Italian models in his compound, but he couldn’t say it [if] They are [there] She says: “They were beaten in front of him, willingly or unwillingly. There was also some sexual harassment.”

WIRED sent Telegram a list of two dozen job and recruiting channels that have advertised AI models, among other roles, in recent months. The company did not appear to have removed any of the channels; However, a company spokesperson says its policies do not allow fraud-related activities to occur.

“Content that encourages or enables fraud is expressly prohibited by Telegram’s Terms of Service and is removed whenever it is detected,” a Telegram spokesperson says. “In such cases, there are legitimate reasons why someone might look like them, so this content should be examined on a case-by-case basis.”

Ngo says the vast majority of typical job ads and applications on Telegram don’t specifically mention scams, but rather include a host of red flags that indicate fraud. “Why [do you] Do you need an AI model? “That’s the first question,” says Ngo. Other red flags include locations on known scam sites in Cambodia, allegations of high salaries for the region, and frequent requirements for Chinese language skills, Ngo says.