After struggling to make ends meet in Kenya, 26-year-old Duncan Okindo sold his livestock, borrowed money from friends, and used his savings to pay over 1,500 USD for a customer service job in Bangkok.

At the Bangkok airport, Okindo and six other Kenyans were met by a truck. The driver confiscated their passports, telling Thai customs officials they were tourists. After hours on the road, they were taken by boat across a river and smuggled into Myanmar.

The group was imprisoned in the notorious KK Park, a fortified compound with walls and armed guards, run by a Chinese crime syndicate.

For the next four months, Okindo was forced to work in a large room with hundreds of other "employees," using desktop computers and the free version of ChatGPT to create scam messages targeting foreigners for cryptocurrency investments.

These scams, known as "pig butchering," involve meticulously building trust with victims before defrauding them, Okindo, who was released earlier this year, told Reuters.

KK Park on the Myanmar-Thailand border. Photo: Guardian

KK Park on the Myanmar-Thailand border. Photo: Guardian

Reuters could not independently verify all of Okindo's account, but his story aligns with those of about 10 other forced laborers interviewed by the news agency.

Okindo said if he didn't meet his daily scam quota, he would be beaten, locked in a cold room, and denied food and water for two days. "It was hell on earth," he said. "I completely broke down to the point of losing all hope. I prayed to God not to be electrocuted or sexually assaulted like others."

Initially, Okindo was forced to visit US real estate websites like Zillow, posing as a successful investor to find "prey." His daily quota required him to convince at least two real estate agents to invest in fake ventures while maintaining contact with at least 10 "clients." These deposits ultimately went to the criminal gang.

Okindo said ChatGPT was "the most widely used AI tool to help scammers carry out their activities," enabling them to convincingly impersonate Texas cattle ranchers or Alabama soybean producers, even using regional dialects. They then convinced "clients" they had made a fortune from cryptocurrency investments.

Duncan Okindo speaks to the media in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: Guardian

Duncan Okindo speaks to the media in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: Guardian

"You needed to create a sense of familiarity. Just one slip-up, and they would know it's a scam," Okindo said.

ChatGPT offered quick research and adaptability. When victims asked about cryptocurrency or the US housing market, Okindo would copy the questions, paste them into the chatbot, and generate credible responses.

The ringleaders provided detailed scripts outlining how to progress the scam each day, including when to discuss real estate and when to mention cryptocurrency. Okindo said ChatGPT was so effective that it even tricked victims who had been previously scammed into losing more money.

The bosses would punish those who didn't meet their scam quotas, while celebrating big wins by ordering the "employees" to beat drums, Okindo said.

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, said it is "actively working on ways to detect and prevent the misuse of this tool for fraudulent purposes." The company said the chatbot is programmed to refuse to answer questions that violate its anti-fraud rules and that it monitors for abuse. The company declined to comment on Okindo's account.

The United Nations estimates that at least 120,000 people are trapped in online scam centers across Myanmar. Anti-trafficking experts believe crackdowns have had little impact, as the facilities are often protected by Myanmar insurgent groups in areas they control.

Thai security forces rescue victims from an online scam center in Myanmar in February. Photo: Thai Army

Thai security forces rescue victims from an online scam center in Myanmar in February. Photo: Thai Army

Okindo said his dignity was "reduced to ashes" after months of forced labor. He escaped the compound in April when Thailand cut off electricity and internet access to KK Park and other scam centers, forcing the ringleaders to release some victims.

Reuters also interviewed another victim forced into an online scam operation in 2022. He said ChatGPT's launch that year transformed how scams were conducted at his facility.

He was forced to use romance scams, seducing victims with AI-generated poems and affectionate messages to defraud them. He said he could simultaneously "woo" dozens of targets. The persuasive writing style of the AI also made the words more believable, trapping victims.

"AI makes manipulation much more effective," the man expressed concern.

Duc Trung (According to Reuters, AP, AFP)