Online fraud damages in Thailand have surged, despite a decrease in the number of victims registering daily complaints, which has dropped from 800 to an average of 580, according to a report by the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry. This increase in damages is attributed to a new law aimed at combating cybercrime.
Prasert Jantararuangthong, the DES Minister, noted that scammers appear to be targeting specific vulnerable groups more effectively, resulting in larger financial losses. He explained that the recent activation of the cybercrime prevention and suppression law has made it more difficult for fraudsters to carry out their scams, leading them to use more complex deceptive tactics.
To address the evolving nature of online scams, the ministry is swiftly establishing a “war room” to combat this threat. This war room will include key components such as the Central Fraud Registry, which will expand the ministry’s role in fighting fraud and collaborate with approximately 300 related agencies and organizations. Additionally, the ministry plans to enhance the existing Anti Fake News Center (AFNC) by creating the Task Force Command Center, which will actively combat online crime and financial fraud using data analytics and artificial intelligence to increase transparency and fairness while providing accurate information to the public.
Prasert is optimistic that the implementation of the war room and command center will yield improved results in online scam prevention by the end of the year. He stressed the importance of addressing online scams, which he considers a crucial target for both the ministry and the government.
In addition to these efforts, Prasert has placed a priority on tasks such as promoting the e-government process, enhancing cybersecurity, reducing the digital divide in remote areas, and advancing ongoing projects. While Thailand now has a law to combat online scams, Prasert believes that it should be complemented by a comprehensive action plan and cooperation from all stakeholders.
The new cybercrime prevention and suppression law provides victims, banks, and authorities with additional tools to combat online scams and other unlawful online activities. Victims can now promptly request the suspension of a mule account set up with their stolen identity through 15 banks’ hotline numbers and file scam complaints with police stations, both in person and online. Furthermore, the law enables banks to temporarily halt suspected mule accounts and employ AI technology to investigate illicit transactions, with specified punishments for cybercriminals.
The AFNC operates through a social listening tool that gathers and verifies data to alert against fake news in four categories, including disaster news, economic news, health products and cosmetics news, and government policy news.
