Facebook scams cost 718 million baht in Thailand last year

Facebook scams and fraudulent activities have inflicted significant financial damage, totalling 718 million baht over the past year, according to the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister, Prasert Jantararuangtong.

Highlighting the efforts of the Anti-Online Scam Operation Centre (AOC) during a recent briefing, Prasert revealed the centre’s impact from November 1 last year to November 14 this year, during which it received over 1.17 million complaints via the 1441 hotline.

These complaints led to the suspension of 348,006 suspicious Facebook accounts.

The total reported damages from online scams during this period exceeded 19 billion baht, with Facebook emerging as the primary platform for these fraudulent activities. The social media giant accounted for 26,804 scam cases, resulting in 718 million baht in losses.

Fraudulent activity wasn’t confined to Facebook, as dubious call centres contributed 22,299 cases, causing approximately 945 million baht in damages. Websites facilitated 16,510 scams, with damages reaching about 1.1 billion baht.

TikTok also featured in the list with 994 cases and around 65 million baht in damages, while other channels accounted for 20,518 cases and about 1.2 billion baht in losses.

Bangkok experienced the highest number of incidents, recording 84,241 cases and leading to the suspension of 48,558 accounts. Other provinces such as Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi, Chon Buri, and Pathum Thani were also significantly affected, ranking among the top five areas for reported scam cases.

Demographic data indicated that individuals aged between 20 and 49 were the most targeted, with 145,302 cases leading to approximately 8.2 billion baht in losses. This age group was predominantly victimised through fraudulent job offers and online investment schemes.

Those aged 50 or over formed the second most affected group, primarily through investment fraud, accounting for 41,901 cases and losses nearing 7.8 billion baht.

A crucial element of the AOC’s operations is its 24/7 hotline service, equipped with 100 lines to enable prompt action. This setup allows suspicious accounts to be frozen within an average of ten minutes after a report is made, underscoring the centre’s rapid response capability.

Prasert noted that cybercrime reports have shown a notable decline in recent months, thanks to enhanced collaboration between agencies.

Prasert also stated that reported cases dropped to 32,266 in August and 29,579 in September, a decrease from the previous average of 35,000 monthly cases earlier this year, reported Bangkok Post.