Thai cybercrime nightmare: 50 billion baht online fraud shocks nation

Thailand has been plunged into a cybercrime crisis, with online fraud cases skyrocketing to a staggering 50.87 billion baht in damages over the last 21 months.

Deputy government spokesman Karom Polpornklang disclosed today, December 7, that the Royal Thai Police website, www.thaipoliceonline.com, has been inundated with a whopping 405,194 fraud complaints from March 1 last year to November 30 this year. Astonishingly, a staggering 375,986 of these complaints were directly linked to online fraud.

Faced with the gravity of the situation, authorities have taken decisive action, freezing a substantial 1.57 billion baht from 206,238 bank accounts for thorough investigation.

The reported damage paints a grim picture, with online investment scams emerging as the frontrunner, causing jaw-dropping losses of 16.16 billion baht, reported Bangkok Post.

Job placement scams have left victims reeling from losses amounting to 6.07 billion baht. Meanwhile, call scams siphoned off an additional 5.98 billion baht.

Deputy spokesman Karom issued a stern warning to the public, cautioning against fraudulent websites designed to receive complaints from victims.

Last year, Thailand faced a severe cybercrime crisis, with approximately 120,000 phone numbers and 60,000 bank accounts frozen, exposing the nation’s vulnerability. Collaborative efforts by the Thai police force, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry, and various agencies successfully dismantled these criminal networks.

Between March and December 2022, the Thai Police Online platform registered a staggering 163,000 complaints of cybercrime, resulting in damages amounting to 27.30 billion baht.

In related news, a heightened crackdown on online fraud and call centre scams is in motion, as directed by Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. The 61 year old PM’s call for increased vigilance arose after he was personally targeted by scammers.

His advice for the public is to adhere to the guidelines provided by the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry to avoid becoming prey to these increasingly intricate scams. Read more about this story HERE.

In other news, in a significant move against call centre scams, the Anti Online Scam Operation Centre (AOC) froze 2,671 bank accounts in its initial two weeks of operation.

Government spokesman Chai Wacharonke shared these statistics, highlighting the effectiveness of the centre, which was launched on November 1 to combat such fraudulent activities. Read more about this story HERE.