Scams
- Thailand News
VFS Global warns Thai travellers of rising visa scam threats
VFS Global cautioned Thai travellers about visa scams, urging early applications due to increasing outbound travel. The organisation, a leader in visa outsourcing and technology services, hosted an awareness event in Bangkok. Diplomats from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Norway, and Switzerland attended to address the growing threat of visa fraud. As visa applications surge to record levels, scammers…
- Thailand News
Krungthai Bank warns customers of scam letters
Krungthai Bank has issued a cautionary notice urging its customers to remain vigilant against scammers impersonating both the bank and police. These fraudsters have been distributing counterfeit letters alleging irregularities in bank accounts that necessitate financial scrutiny. Customers are advised to directly contact the bank or law enforcement if they have any doubts. Krungthai Bank took to their Facebook page,…
- Thai Life
Phone call scams you can get in Thailand
Phone call scams are surging in Thailand, and the government and organisations are actively warning the public. In 2023 alone, scammers made nearly 79 million fraudulent calls, highlighting the growing threat. This article will explore the most common phone scams, explain how they operate, and provide practical tips to protect yourself from falling victim. Types of phone call scams The…
- Thailand News
How to detect call centre scams with two simple steps
A simple trick reveals how to check if a strange number calling you is from a call centre scam. Just follow two easy steps to know immediately if it’s a scammer. Call centre scams have become a widespread issue in Thailand, affecting people of all ages, professions, and backgrounds. Many individuals have become wary and have started avoiding answering calls…
- Thailand News
Experts’ warning: Miraculous healers or devious scammers?
Buddhist leaders, scholars, and mental health experts warn against the increase in religious scams where fraudsters claim they have spiritual powers, heal illnesses, and deceive unsuspecting followers. The man and woman duo from Udon Thani claim they can cure illnesses using a celestial frequency, their throats producing a rhonchi-like sound as a signal from five Lord Buddhas. In Surat Thani,…
- Business News
Deepfake dilemma: AI scam rise, posing as kin for data snatch
Artificial intelligence (AI) deepfakes, used for identity theft and impersonating identities of the victim’s relatives are now being used for personal data collection, in a rising trend of scams in Thailand. Titinun Suttinaraphan, the Regional Marketing Director of Southeast Asia for Gogolook, developer of the Whoscall app, states that the total number of Thai were victims of 217,047 scams per…
- Business News
Thailand ranked in top three for financial fraud scams, says Google
Google’s 2023 Bad Apps Report ranked Thailand among the top three countries in the Asia-Pacific region with a significant spike in financial fraud scams last year. Aman Dayal, Asia-Pacific head of trust & safety operations for Google Play, stated during an online media briefing that Singapore, Thailand, and India were particularly affected. With over 90% of smartphone penetration rates, the…
- Thailand News
Thai SEC crackdowns on unlicenced crypto operators
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand (Thai SEC) has declared war on unauthorised digital asset services, aiming to safeguard investors from financial pitfalls. Pornanong Busaratrakul, Secretary-General of the Thai SEC stated that at the meeting on April 19, it was resolved to order the SEC to submit information on unauthorised digital asset service providers to the Ministry of Digital…
- Thailand News
Call scams: Ministry’s shocking move to suspend thousands of numbers
In a bold move to tackle the rising tide of call scams, the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry unveiled a groundbreaking plan: any telephone number making over 100 calls per day will face immediate suspension. DES Minister Prasert Chantararuangthong dropped this bombshell yesterday, December 12, revealing that an astonishing 80,000 individuals had reported falling victim to call scams within…
- Crime News
Lesson learned: Thailand issues recruitment scam alert for assistant teacher gigs
Education officials in Thailand urged people to be wary of potential scams linked to the recruitment of assistant teacher positions. This warning comes after the Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) received complaints about attempts to extract benefits from the special selection process for assistant teachers. The OCSC is currently refining the selection criteria, aiming for transparency, fairness, and…
- Thailand News
Thailand intensifies fight against online fraud
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…
- World News
SkyCity alerts public to rising scam gambling sites misusing Its brand
SkyCity Casino is the online division of SkyCity Entertainment Group. The group is an entertainment firm situated in Auckland. It owns and runs five casinos on land in New Zealand. Additionally, it is listed as stock on the New Zealand Exchange, or NZX. SkyCity Casino opened its virtual gates in August 2019. Ever since, it has been the preferred option…
- Business News
Recruitment scams exposed: Protecting job seekers and employers
The recruitment industry is riddled with a number of deceptive practices and scams. Attracting a wide range of individuals due to its low setup costs, the sector is increasingly becoming a hotbed for unscrupulous activities. There are five prevalent recruitment scams that job seekers and employers should be aware of. Scam one involves recruiters pretending to represent a non-existent client.…
- Phuket News
Phuket authorities warn against rising LINE app and Facebook scams
A criminal group has been flagged for attempting to scam people by posing as the Thai Red Cross Society, on LINE and Facebook according to a warning issued by Phuket’s Public Relations Department (PR Phuket). The scam involves an OpenChat group on LINE, a popular Thai messaging app, where members are invited to donate money under the guise of the…
- Crime News
Thailand’s DES ministry intensifies fight against rising online fraud
Damages in Thailand by online fraud have seen a surge, despite a decrease in the victim count to an average of 580 daily complaints, a drop from the earlier 800, the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry reports. This is attributed to the implementation of a new law targeted at curbing cybercrime. Prasert Jantararuangthong, DES Minister, observed that scammers are…
- Business News
Digital economy minister urged to support SMEs and combat online scams in Thailand
The newly appointed Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister is being urged by industry leaders to combat online scams, bolster cross-border e-commerce for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and provide additional incentives to businesses for technological investments. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is also looking to collaborate with the minister, Prasert Chanthararuangthong, on various initiatives to bridge the…
- Crime News
Online impostors scam public with high-profile personas as digital deception thrives
Members of the public are being targeted by fraudsters posing as high-profile business figures as online scams continue to run rife. Authorities warned potential investors to exercise caution and authenticate any investment links or messages they receive, following a spike in scam cases. The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry identified common traits among scammers, most notably the promise of…
- Business News
Chinese tourism deterred by tourist scams in Thailand, says ATTA
Fear of being conned by tourist scams poses a bigger concern to prospective Chinese tourists than Thailand’s political ambiguity, advises the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA). Given a sluggish economic recovery on the mainland, the Chinese tourism market could slightly be affected. Calling for tougher safety measures, ATTA’s president, Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, indicated that improving the country’s image and reassurances…
- Thailand News
Key Chinese Ponzi scheme member arrested in Bangkok over cybercrime
A key member of a Chinese Ponzi scheme network wanted in China for cybercrime, fraud, and investment scams, has been apprehended by immigration police. The 35 year old individual, known only as Zhao, was arrested following coordination between the Chinese embassy in Bangkok and the Immigration Bureau (IB). Zhao and his associates operated an investment firm that lured people into a…
- Crime News
New cyber crime law helps banks and victims
A new Royal Decree on Cyber Crime Prevention and Suppression is now in effect in Thailand. The new law has provisions to help victims, banks and authorities combat illegal online activities. The decree allows victims of online scams to use a hotline to report mule accounts set up using their stolen identity immediately to 15 banks. Victims can also file…
- Guides
Top 10 scams in Thailand
Any hot tourist spot around the world is going to attract the ‘wrong sort of’ people, sometimes greedy locals, who will be specialists at extracting dollars from tourists’ pockets. In Thailand, the main difference is that they will usually do it with a smile. There are indeed scams awaiting tourists who come to Thailand and you are best served by…
- Crime News
Police on the prowl for scam gang after Thai teen commits suicide
Police are on the prowl for a scamming gang after a teenage boy committed suicide in Thailand’s central Nonthaburi province. The boy, 15 year old Arthit, hung himself in a wooded area in the Pakkret district on Sunday. Arthit left a note apologising to his mother for stealing up to 15,000 baht from her purse. Investigators later found that criminals…
- Tourism News
Tourist police warn travellers of Thai scams
Spiderman’s uncle once said, “With great tourism, comes great scamability.” We might be paraphrasing a bit, but as Thailand is welcoming international tourists once again pouring into the country, the tourist police are warning that perhaps not-so-welcomed scammers are also returning to prey on fresh foreign victims. The commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau says that they are increasing police presence…
- Crime News
Ponzi schemes in the crosshairs for DSI, Finance Ministry
Sometimes cracking down on scam crimes just creates smarter criminals. The Ministry of Finance and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) are teaming up to crack down on new forms of the classic Ponzi scheme. The director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office announced that the ministry was meeting with the DSI to discuss updates on the laws regarding new scams.…
- Thailand News
Thai officials warn of fake news and financial schemes on social media
Thai officials are warning the public that several fake news reports, including about financial schemes, are still going viral on social media. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry said today that from August 26 to September 1, it examined 266 social media posts. Of those posts, 141 contained fake news. Even though fake news on Covid-19 has dropped off the…
- Crime News
Thais cautioned against fake government websites
Thais are being told to be aware of websites pretending to be government agencies’ pages. A deputy government spokesperson said on Friday that cybercriminals are using these fake sites to get people’s data and even hack their devices. The spokesperson, Rachada Dhnadirek, gave one example that showed just how advanced some of the fake government sites are. A fake Department…
- Central Thailand News
Police find fake Covid-19 tests worth millions in central Thailand
After raids this week, police have found tens of thousands of falsely labelled Covid-19 tests, along with medical supplies, in central Thailand worth about 2 million baht. Police posed as customers to crack down on a building in the province of Nakhon Pathom, and a house in the province of Nonthaburi, on July 11. In the Nakhon Pathom building, police…
- Northern Thailand News
Former police inspector in North Thailand scammed, loses retirement funds
A scam gang, pretending to be police, have tricked a former police inspector in North Thailand into handing over all of his retirement money, totalling 1.8 million baht. The former inspector, who lives in Lampang province, said the scammers called him on June 1, claiming to be from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission. The scammers told the former inspector…
- Thailand News
“Beware, shakedowns in Thailand’s property market” I Lawyers, Guns and Money
There are great opportunities in Thailand’s real estate and property markets. Plenty of people buy, live in and sell, sometimes for a profit. Some live in their properties and some purchase them for investment. But there are well-publicised problems and even scams that have blunted the image of Thailand’s property industry, particularly the tourist magnets where beaches and a…
- Crime News
Thailand’s police warn, don’t fall for ‘deepfake’ scams
A Thai deputy police spokesman warned people today that scammers are using so-called ‘deepfake’ technology to pretend to be police on video calls, and pressure people to transfer money to them. The spokesman pointed out that Royal Thai Police does not have a policy of making video calls to anybody involved in a criminal case, be it the defendant, suspect…
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