BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s Digital Economy Ministry warned that a wave of social media scams was offering illegal driving licences without tests, targeting users across major platforms.
Foreigners targeted with fake licence offers
Scammers reportedly lured foreigners with promises of obtaining a legal Thai driving licence without any classes or examinations.
“This is the most prominent fraud that we are investigating.”
said Suchada Zhang Thaensap, spokeswoman for the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry.
More than 1,000 suspicious posts in a week
The DES Ministry monitored over one million online messages between 21 and 27 November and subjected 1,133 suspicious posts to detailed scrutiny. Twenty warnings were sent directly through the ministry’s official Line account, leading to 254 investigation procedures, of which 90 cases had already been verified.
Range of online frauds uncovered
Alongside fake driving licences, authorities identified false loan offers in the name of the Government Savings Bank on TikTok and fraudsters posing as state agencies demanding fees to refund stolen funds. They also uncovered bogus job placement agencies operating via Line accounts, fake AMLO-themed Facebook pages claiming to collect fraud complaints, and fraudulent investment schemes linked to Café Amazon with alleged daily returns.
Ministry: all online licence offers are fraud
The ministry said it worked closely with the Land Transport Department, which confirmed that all online offers for driving licences were scams. Victims not only lost money but also faced the risk of misuse of their personal data.
“Do not fall for these promises.”
said Suchada, stressing that a Thai driving licence always required official courses and passed tests.
Authorities urge use of official channels only
Officials underlined that legitimate licence applications in Thailand were handled exclusively by official bodies and that any shortcut offer was “one hundred percent criminal”. They advised the public to ignore such advertisements and report them immediately, and to use only the official channels of the Thai transport authorities to protect both their money and their personal information.