NBTC rings changes: Task force to dial down online banking scams
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has established a working group to enforce a new policy aimed at preventing online scams targeting mobile banking users. This policy mandates that the name used to register a mobile phone SIM card must match the name of the bank account holder connected to the internet via that SIM card.
This policy had been approved by the NBTC and now, the newly formed team includes representatives from the NBTC, Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), Bank of Thailand, Thai Bankers’ Association, mobile phone network operators, and other relevant state agencies.
The working group will see banks collecting information regarding ID or passport numbers and mobile numbers of individuals who have registered for mobile banking services. According to Police General Nathathorn Prousoontorn, commissioner of the NBTC, this data will then be provided to Amlo in an encoded format for use and sharing with the NBTC.
“The NBTC will manage the mobile banking customer database held by mobile networks and verify whether the users match the individuals registered for the mobile phone number linked to the transaction service.”
Verification results will be sent back to the banks, which will in turn ask their customers to comply with the new rule to continue using mobile banking services. Exceptions will be made in specific cases, such as when individuals use their name to register for mobile banking and phone services on behalf of their young children or elderly parents.
In another announcement, the NBTC revealed that up to 2.13 million SIM cards were cancelled after the deadline for individuals who had registered 101 or more SIM cards to identify themselves in person to the NBTC lapsed yesterday.
In related news, a 29 year old man was arrested in Nakhon Si Thammarat for allegedly operating a fraudulent online business, causing damages worth over 2 million baht. The suspect, identified as Pongsiri, is linked to 61 cases of scams, selling products ranging from powdered milk to rubber mattresses that never arrived after payment.
