THAILAND – The Thai government announced a sweeping crackdown on online scams, imposing a maximum of five SIM cards per person and instructing banks to adopt harsher rules on so-called mule accounts as part of a declared national campaign against call-centre crime.
Scale of the problem
Thailand has been battling an epidemic of telephone and online fraud that has cost victims billions of baht and steadily eroded public trust in digital services. Criminal groups have posed as bank officials, police or civil servants to trick thousands of people each day, while many organised operations run from bases in neighbouring countries but use Thai SIM cards and bank accounts to launder money and hide their tracks.
Authorities said previous measures were insufficient and that the new package of steps was needed to disrupt the infrastructure that sustains large-scale scams.
New SIM cap and how it will work
The Digital Economy and Society Ministry ordered the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to set a firm limit of five SIM cards per person. The ministry said the cap was intended to stop fraudsters from acquiring dozens of anonymous numbers for repeated scam calls.
The NBTC is drawing up an implementation plan that will require telecom operators to build a central, real-time database to check how many active SIMs are registered to a national ID. Existing users holding more than five SIMs will be asked to deactivate extras within a transitional period; authorities said details of that grace period would be published in the coming weeks.
The ministry acknowledged potential disruption for businesses and said exemptions could be available for legitimate commercial needs, subject to stricter vetting and monitoring. Companies are expected to apply for special business accounts that will face enhanced checks and regular review.
Closing off mule accounts
The Bank of Thailand has been told to coordinate new measures against mule accounts — bank accounts used to move and launder illegally obtained funds. Under the plan, regulators will consider limiting the number of accounts an individual can hold and could restrict repeat mule-account holders to a single account for basic living needs. Repeat offenders may face immediate termination of all their bank accounts.
Authorities described these steps as striking at criminals’ most vulnerable point: without access to bank accounts, fraud proceeds cannot be transferred or laundered as easily. Banks have been asked to develop a unified system for detecting suspicious patterns, using artificial intelligence and machine learning to flag unusual transactions in real time. Financial institutions will be required to report suspicious activity immediately and may temporarily freeze accounts while investigations proceed.
War room and faster interagency action
To speed responses, the NBTC and the Bank of Thailand will place staff in the International Call Centre and Human Trafficking Incident Management Centre’s operational “war room.” Officials said the arrangement will enable cross-agency decisions to be made in minutes rather than days, with technology that can trace calls, analyse money flows and map international links in real time.
The government is also revising the Royal Decree on the Prevention and Suppression of Technology Crime to allow tougher penalties.
International cooperation and internal probes
Because many call-centre rings operate across borders, Thailand has intensified cooperation with neighbours including Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos to share information and conduct joint operations. Authorities said several large operations had already been dismantled through coordinated raids, though they warned that more sustained effort was required.
The government also announced internal probes to root out corrupt officials who allegedly provided information or logistical support to criminal networks. Digital Minister Chaichanok Chidchob said he had “assigned each agency to urgently define proactive measures and to proceed seriously with resolving the problems affecting the public.” He added a stern warning to corrupt officials that those found connected to fraudsters would face “the toughest legal penalties.”
Funding, new units and public outreach
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul elevated the anti-fraud campaign to a national agenda, giving it top priority and allocating additional resources. The government plans to invest several billion baht in technical infrastructure, specialised law-enforcement units and training, and to grant access to international databases and expert networks.
Alongside enforcement, officials launched public-education campaigns aimed at raising awareness of common scams, with targeted messaging for vulnerable groups such as the elderly. Authorities said television spots, social media outreach and school programmes will explain how scams work and the risks of selling or sharing bank account details.
Civil society concerns and balance of rights
Human-rights and civil-society groups welcomed the effort to curb organised fraud but urged safeguards to protect privacy and prevent abuse. Critics warned that broad surveillance and data-collection measures could infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens and called for clear rules on data storage, use and independent oversight.
Officials said all measures would comply with Thailand’s data-protection laws and that anonymous reporting channels would be established so public servants could safely report suspicions of corruption.
Thailand’s new, tougher approach to online crime represents a significant tightening of rules that may inconvenience some legitimate users but, officials argue, is necessary to dismantle organised networks that have inflicted widespread financial and reputational damage on the country. The government framed the changes as part of a broader effort to restore public confidence in digital banking and e-commerce and to protect citizens from increasingly sophisticated scams.