Deceptive by Design

For this report, C4ADS worked with the Associated Press to investigate the misuse of AI in Southeast Asian scam compounds. Through interviews with scammers based in Myanmar and the Philippines, C4ADS examined two sets of AI-powered tools they used: the 007TG suite and KT Smart Translation. Analyzing these tools’ source code, corporate networks, and marketing operations, C4ADS found that:

• AI tools enable scammers to operate globally and at scale: KT Smart Translation integrates four large language model-powered translation services covering over 100 languages, while 007TG’s SCRM Champion allows users to manage communications across 15 platforms with AI-generated automated replies and lead management systems that enable scammers to track targets and pass victims from one scammer to another.
  
  
• Sophisticated AI chatbots likely help scammers deceive targets: KT integrated a GPT-4-powered roleplay chatbot that users can feed with specific industry knowledge, which may allow scammers of varying educational backgrounds to assume highly technical roles and develop convincing characters as they interact with targets.
  
  
• AI-powered monitoring tools can control a workforce of trafficking victims: 007TG’s CloudSeven integrates over 20 American-, Chinese-, and French-developed AI models to generate data reports analyzing employee behavior, with sentiment analysis tracking emotional shifts in target responses, likely to assess whether the scammers are meeting their quotas.
  
  
• Opaque corporate networks and marketing operations likely target criminals: The 007TG Suite was likely operated by Singapore-based company HiSeven Pte., Ltd., while KT’s ownership remains largely hidden with no registered entity matching its claimed incorporation. These companies marketed their tools extensively on Telegram, accepted cryptocurrency payments via platforms favored by organized crime (such as Tron), and featured capabilities that allow for deception and identity obfuscation.

The report provides recommendations for policymakers, law enforcement, and the technology industry to address AI misuse within the cyber scam ecosystem and its implications for AI governance.

Join C4ADS analyst and Deceptive by Design author Michael Di Girolamo for a webinar on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 as he unpacks insights gleaned from publicly available information to demonstrate how scams and the criminals behind them are adapting to continuously increase the success of their operations.