According to an anti-fraud technology company, in 2024, Thailand experienced an unprecedented rise in scam calls and text messages, exceeding 168 million, more than double the figure from the previous year. This surge prompted authorities to intensify their efforts against cyber fraud in Southeast Asia.
These scammers’ primary tactics included falsely marketing nonexistent products, posing as representatives of Thai companies, offering loans, and attempting to collect debts. Recent reports from Gogolook Thailand, a subsidiary of Taipei-listed Gogolook Co Ltd, indicate that fraudsters have started impersonating delivery services and government utilities.
In total, these fraudulent efforts were identified almost 130 million times through text messages and 38 million times via calls in 2024, marking a staggering 112% increase from the 79.2 million instances recorded by Whoscall in 2023.
“The dramatic rise can be linked to the increasingly sophisticated nature of the scam landscape, driven by the use of advanced generative AI technologies through phone communications, SMS, and harmful links,” stated Manwoo Joo, CEO of Gogolook Thailand, in a statement released on Monday.
This alarming volume of scam activities underscores the vast scale of the cyber scam industry throughout Southeast Asia, with operations centred in countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. These billion-dollar enterprises are predominantly managed by Chinese fugitives who escaped their homeland following a crackdown in 2020 and exploit thousands of individuals who fall victim to human trafficking.
According to a report by the United Nations Human Rights Office, numerous individuals throughout Southeast Asia are being illegally detained by criminal organizations and coerced into participating in various unlawful activities, including romance investment scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and illegal gambling.
The Thai government estimates that its citizens lose between 60 million and 70 million baht (approximately RM7.87 million to RM9.19 million) daily due to these scam operations, accumulating total losses of around 42 billion baht (about RM5.15 billion) from October 2023 to November 2024. In response, local authorities have established a hotline for victims to report incidents and have launched a public awareness campaign aimed at preventing individuals from falling prey to cyber scams. To safeguard its population, Thailand has intensified its efforts to combat transnational crime originating from neighbouring countries in recent weeks. The government has implemented measures holding banks, mobile operators, social media companies, and online lenders accountable for financial crimes occurring on their platforms. Additionally, it has cut off electricity, internet access, and fuel supplies in specific regions of Myanmar believed to be centers for cyber scams.
Recently, Thailand collaborated with China and Myanmar’s military government to repatriate hundreds of Chinese nationals from scam operations located in a border town in Myanmar. Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa announced that the three nations will convene again at a ministerial level soon to discuss further actions.
In a separate operation on Sunday, Thai and Cambodian police rescued 215 foreign individuals during a raid on an online scam centre in northwestern Cambodia.
Last week, China’s foreign ministry stated that Beijing is cooperating with Thailand, Myanmar, and other nations to jointly prevent criminals from crossing borders to perpetrate offences and to combat the widespread issues of online gambling and telecom fraud.
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