Online Scam Victims in Thailand Get More Help with New Law

The Thai government has proposed a new law aimed at combating the recent meteoric rise of cybercrime in Thailand. As a global tourism hub, scams in Thailand are nothing new, but advanced technology has helped cybercriminals in Thailand exploit their victims in new and more efficient ways, necessitating a proportionate response from the government. This new law is hoped to give Thai law enforcement the tools they need to better fight online scams.

Examples of Online Scams in Thailand

Thailand is home to many scammers looking to exploit tourists who find themselves in a foreign land with a lot of money on hand. However, both locals and foreigners alike can fall victim to these scams, resulting in them suffering loss of finances, compromised identities, emotional distress, and even trouble with the law. 

Scammers are now utilizing the internet and other technologies to steal money in new ways and avoid getting caught. Some common scams in Thailand that have emerged due to advanced technology include:

Crypto Investment Scams

Online crypto scams consist of websites and transactions luring investors to invest in fake cryptocurrency tokens or leaking confidential information about their crypto profiles. People can fall victim to this through tactics such as phishing, fake dating profiles, blackmail, impersonation, and fraudulent promotional events.

Online Transactional Scams

Fraudulent money exchanges and false billing scams are also popular, especially across the internet. Scammers target their victims by pushing higher-than-usual exchange rates, providing the wrong amount of change for online transactions, or even manipulating them to send money under the guise of charity. 

Phishing

This is a very popular cyber scam where the scammer impersonates a government official, business representative, or even a friend or a family member to trick individuals into sharing personal information with them, which can then be used for criminal activities. Phishing is a common occurrence on email and social media sites, where scammers use these platforms to contact unassuming individuals. 

Romance Scams

Due to the rise of dating websites in Thailand, a lot of romance scams have appeared. Here the scammer pretends to be a potential romantic partner using a fake persona and account. They will attempt to build a relationship with their victim, taking advantage of their emotions to get them to provide confidential information such as bank account details. 

Mule Accounts

This is a common tactic used by money launderers in Thailand to reduce and avoid detection by the authorities. Some of the individuals acting as money mules for illegal businesses and criminals are unaware of their role in it. Victims are convinced by the perpetrators that the fraudulent transactions they are facilitating are legitimate business transactions. 

Victims are targeted via social media, email, and fake online ads, where they will be asked to send their “clean” funds to a criminal’s account in exchange for a higher amount of dirty money. While the mule may profit from this, it also implicates them in the crime, and the victims are often left holding the bag.

Why a New Law Will be Implemented

The government proposed this new law to protect the public from new and evolving digital scams and to help them recover their financial losses. In response to multiple cybercrime cases in Thailand, this special law would prevent more technology-based crimes from occurring. The Anti-Online Scam Operation Center (AOC) reported around 700 online scams a day which saw losses of up to 45 million baht during 2023 and the first half of 2024. 

During a recent government meeting, Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong, a representative of the Digital Economy and Society (DES), stated that a subcommittee on legal affairs would be drafting a bill to address any of the issues regarding cybercrimes and their prevention. The subcommittee would eventually present this newly proposed law to the Cabinet. 

Current Efforts to Combat Cybercrimes

One of the ways the Thai government has been actively combating cybercrime in the country has been through the Anti-Online Scam Operation Center (AOC). This establishment works proactively to prevent digital scams from happening, tackling a variety of online scams ranging from investment fraud to even identity theft. 

A victim of cybercrime can request useful assistance from the Center in quickly freezing their accounts, minimizing financial losses, and preventing the culprit from making further transactions. 

In July 2024, the following actions have been taken to counter such crimes:

• 16,279 illegal websites were forcefully shut down
• 920,694 mule accounts were suspended
• 71,122 mule SIM cards have been revoked

Issues with Current Cybercrime Prevention Methods

While there were some successes with cybercrime prevention, there were also some flaws with the current system. A major concern involved cybercrime victims having to wait a long time until a case closes to reclaim their stolen finances, even after their accounts were frozen by the authorities. 

Mr. Prasert highlighted that while efforts to suppress such crimes were better, tackling the culprits behind the crimes needed improving. Only 208 perpetrators involved in mule accounts and SIM card crimes were arrested, a 13.33% decrease compared to the average from the first 3 months of 2024. In fact, the total number of cyber criminal arrests averaged only 2,306, a 7.57% reduction from the first 3 months of the year. 

Improvements Proposed by the New Law

This new law will benefit cybercrime victims, especially those who have encountered issues with law enforcement support. Additionally, it would lead to enhanced cybercrime prevention tactics and more scammers being arrested. 

This special law will also introduce the following changes:

• Increasing jail time for suspects from 1 year to 5 years 
• Taking extra precautions to prevent illegal money transfers through digital assets 
• Enhancing the flow of information between government agencies
• Introducing methods to overcome obstacles in tracing any stolen funds and returning them to their rightful owners

Seeking Help as a Victim of Cybercrime in Thailand

If you find yourself a victim of online scammers, don’t wait for the new law to come into effect, reach out to Siam Legal and connect with our fraud specialists. The faster you retain our legal services, the faster we can begin the recovery process and increase your chances of restoring what was stolen from you. 

With over 20 years in operation as a full-service law firm, our attorneys have the skills and expertise needed to explore all avenues to try and recover your losses, provide legal representation if litigation is required, and help you interact with the authorities so that you can seek justice and move on from this incident as quickly as possible. 

Contact Siam Legal today and take back control.

Category: Criminal Law, Fraud