Facebook Scams Cost Thailand Over 718 Million Baht Last Year

[snoop1130]

 

Facebook scams have cost Thailand a massive 718 million baht (£16.5 million) in the past year, according to a recent announcement by Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister, Prasert Jantararuangtong. More than a million complaints poured into the Anti-Online Scam Operation Centre, leading to the suspension of over 348,000 Facebook accounts suspected of fraudulent activities.

 

The figures released by Minister Jantararuangtong highlight a growing concern for brigades of fraudsters using social media platforms to perpetrate scams, with Facebook playing home to more than 26,000 such cases. Furthermore, these online scams weren't limited to the social giants; dubious call centres and websites accounted for nearly 40,000 cases, leading to cumulative losses of around two billion baht (£46 million).

 

Interestingly, the impact wasn't evenly felt across the country. The majority of incidents occurred in Bangkok, which recorded over 84,000 cases and consequently suspended almost 50,000 accounts suspected of fraudulent activity. Other hard-hit areas included Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi, Chon Buri, and Pathum Thani, ranking among the five top provinces with the most scam cases.

 

 

The data also revealed that individuals between 20 and 49 years were most targeted—mainly fell prey to online job and investment scams, leading to losses totalling around 8.2 billion baht (£189 million). Those aged 50 and above weren't far behind, with investment fraud accounting for nearly 42,000 cases and losses close to 7.8 billion baht (£180 million).

 

In response to these shocking figures, DES Minister Jantararuangtong assured that the Anti-Online Scam Operation Centre is working around the clock to combat these issues. Equipped with a 24/7 hotline and the ability to freeze suspicious accounts within minutes, the centre has contributed to a marked decrease in the number of reported cases in recent months. This drop, credited to enhanced collaboration between agencies, offers a glimmer of hope against this digital menace and represents a step towards creating a more secure online space for all.

 

File photo for reference only

 

-- 2024-11-18

 

 

[DLock]

I think that amount was just my wife being scammed...pretty sure you you could multiply this by 1,000 and still be short...

 

Australia was AUD$2.73 Billion dollars in 2023 as a comparison.

[ModdaPunk]

How much is that ? 20 millions euros, roughly ?

It's not the end of the world frankly.

Actually it's pretty amazing for Thailand to score so low