BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand recorded more than 7,300 online crime cases in a single week, with reported losses exceeding 397 million baht.
More than 7,300 online cases in a single week
According to Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, deputy chief of the Royal Thai Police, more than 7,300 online crime cases were recorded in the past week, with reported damages of over 397 million baht. The figures highlighted the continuing scale of internet-related fraud in the country.
The Anti-Cyber Scam Centre documented exactly 7,372 cases, six more than in the previous period. Despite the slight increase in reported incidents, the total financial damage fell by more than 15 million baht.
Online shopping fraud remained the most common tactic
Online shopping scams again formed by far the most frequent type of fraud, accounting for around 70% of all cases. Police said this category continued to rise.
Typical schemes involved goods that were never delivered, fake online shops or payments sent to fraudster-controlled accounts. The high number of cases showed how everyday online purchases had become an entry point for criminal networks.
Investment and job scams caused the biggest losses
Although investment and job scams were less frequent in number, they caused the highest financial losses. Combined, the damage from these two categories exceeded 213 million baht.
Roughly 53% of the total weekly losses were attributed to investment and job fraud. Police indicated that a relatively small number of “high-value” cases could push overall damage figures sharply upward.
Who was most affected: women and specific age groups
Women were reportedly targeted more often than men, especially in the 21–30 age group. The data pointed to focused approaches via social networks and messenger services.
Job scams occurred most frequently among people aged 31 to 40, while so-called prize scams mainly affected those between 41 and 60. Police used these victim profiles to direct preventive advice more precisely to at-risk groups.
Crackdowns on mule accounts: 27 arrests and millions seized
Police arrested 27 suspects, including 26 Thais and one Chinese national, who were believed to be linked to networks of proxy or “mule” accounts in 11 cases. More than 3.4 million baht was seized during these operations.
In addition, authorities intervened in 12 cases and blocked 57 transactions. Officials said this prevented further losses of more than 5.18 million baht.
Specific cases in Udon Thani, Chiang Mai and a blocked transfer
One major operation targeted three suspects in Udon Thani who were allegedly part of a proxy-account network; police seized 500,000 baht in cash. The detained suspects confessed to having worked for a fraud syndicate, according to the authorities.
In Chiang Dao district of Chiang Mai, two youths aged 17 and 19 were arrested on suspicion of withdrawing money from mule accounts, with 150,000 baht seized. In another case, officers stopped a 66-year-old woman from transferring more than two million baht to scammers, averting a significant loss for the intended victim.