BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s Anti-Fake News Centre identified the five false stories that drew the most reactions on social media in 2025, warning they posed serious risks to public safety, health and finances.
Government review of viral falsehoods
The review was presented in Bangkok by Wetang Puangsub, spokesperson for the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society. He said the monitoring and analysis of content had been carried out under government policy to counter threats to national security and social stability.
The AFNC grouped misinformation into five categories: politics and public order, disasters, health, economy and online crime. For each category, it singled out the false claim that generated the highest public interaction in 2025.
Political rumours and disaster panic
In politics and social order, a claim alleging that human trafficking gangs and foreign beggars were spreading nationwide without state intervention dominated online discussion, reaching 458,261 interactions. The Department of Social Development and Welfare rejected the story as false.
In the disaster category, a rumour about an imminent tsunami on the Andaman coast, said to be worse than the 2004 catastrophe, spread particularly widely and garnered 529,472 interactions. The Meteorological Department clarified that an earthquake of magnitude 9.3 would require an estimated 400 to 600 years to recur and could not currently occur.
Health hoax over alleged HIV “cure”
In the health category, a claim stood out with 156,828 interactions, asserting that HIV could be cured within two months by consuming two bottles of CDS. The Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Public Health firmly contradicted this, stating that CDS was not a medicine, had never been approved for treatment and could be life-threatening if ingested.
Fake bank loans and compensation scams
Among economy-related falsehoods, an advertisement was prominent that claimed Government Savings Bank was issuing loans via a Facebook page called “LEASE it PCL 859”, which drew 77,123 interactions. The bank said there was no connection to this page and warned of risks including loss of personal data and loss of assets.
In the online crime category, the most widespread falsehood centred on a TikTok account pretending that the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) was registering victims there for compensation payments. The account police_cyber1710 reached 97,688 interactions but was identified by AMLO as the work of fraudsters posing as officials.
Authorities urge rapid reporting of suspicious content
According to a report by Thaitabloid, Wetang Puangsub stressed that the AFNC relied on rapid corrections, public information campaigns and warnings about online fraud to reduce damage from cybercrime.
“The public should report suspicious information immediately via the 1111 hotline, extension 87, the official AFNC website or the centre’s social media channels.”
said Wetang Puangsub, spokesperson for the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.
He said this was intended to prevent high-reach false reports from spreading further and putting citizens at risk in terms of health, finances or security.