BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s national anti-fraud center reported a sharp rise in sophisticated digital scams that targeted victims with fake brand messages and e-wallet notifications, costing them millions.
Surge in cases and losses within one week
From 30 November to 6 December, the national Anti-Cyber Scam Center (ACSC) received 7,353 fraud reports, with total recorded losses of 411 million baht, more than 10 million euros. This represented 827 more cases than the previous week, although the average loss per case declined. Criminals followed a strategy of “quantity over quality”, aiming for many small amounts to avoid attracting attention, while severe individual cases still pushed some families to the brink of ruin.
Fake brand messages and e-wallet credits
Scammers circulated fake SMS messages that claimed to come from brands such as PTT or Café Amazon, warning of expiring reward points or offering gifts. Their goal was to capture personal data or trick recipients into making payments, leading authorities to caution that SMS messages appearing to come from a petrol station or café should not be trusted. Fake e-wallet credits were also in circulation, designed to persuade users to transfer money to unlock alleged “rewards”.
Young nurse and her family pushed to financial brink
One particularly harsh case illustrated the methods used. Fraudsters posed as state officials and contacted a 23-year-old newly qualified nurse from Min Buri. They pressured her to stay isolated, send personal photos and transfer money, while at the same time blackmailing her parents. Police intervened, but losses of more than 800,000 baht (20,000 euros) had already occurred, leaving the family at the edge of financial collapse.
Call-center gangs target older people
Traditional call-center gangs remained active, calling elderly people and pretending to be staff of the electricity authority. They convinced victims to install remote access apps such as AnyDesk or to carry out a facial verification, after which bank accounts were emptied within seconds. In one case, a 67-year-old woman in Taling Chan lost more than 50,000 baht to a fake online prize draw before police managed to stop another transfer.
Facebook leads in case numbers, not in total damage
Most reported fraud incidents, more than 3,274 cases, still began on Facebook, but the highest total losses arose on other platforms. Scammers spread their risk by using multiple digital channels, with online shopping fraud accounting for 61.8% of all reports. This was followed by prize and transfer scams, as well as fake job and side-income offers.
Police advice: verify, do not click, and call ACSC
Police urged the public not to click on links in suspicious SMS and to verify messages from brands directly in official apps. They warned never to install remote access apps based on a phone call and stressed that real authorities never demand money or personal data over the telephone. In cases of doubt, people were told to call the ACSC hotline 1441; investigators had managed last week to stop 23 cases and recover 4.3 million baht.
Why scams still succeed despite constant warnings
Despite awareness campaigns, warning apps and media reports, scammers continued to earn millions every day and adapted their tricks faster than authorities could respond. They reached every target group, from children and seniors to young professionals, raising questions about whether the roots of the problem lay in technology, education or in an ongoing shadow war in which offenders stayed one step ahead.