AFNC Names Most Shared Fake News Stories of 2025

Pictures courtesy of Thaitabloid

Thailand’s Anti-Fake News Centre (AFNC) has revealed the five fake news stories that attracted the highest public engagement in 2025, highlighting widespread public interest in misinformation across policy, disasters, health, economic scams and online crime. The findings underline the scale of social media interaction with false content and the potential risks to public understanding and safety.

The announcement was made on 1 January 2026 in Bangkok by Mr Wetang Puangsub, spokesperson for the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES). He said the monitoring and reporting were conducted by AFNC in line with government policy to address national security threats and social risks, under Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiyanok Chidchob.

AFNC categorised fake news into five groups and identified the most engaged-with false story in each category during 2025. In the policy and social order category, the top fake news claimed that human trafficking gangs and foreign beggars were spreading across Thailand without state action, drawing 458,261 engagements, which the Department of Social Development and Welfare confirmed was false.

In the disaster category, the most shared fake news warned of a potential tsunami on the Andaman coast that could be worse than the 2004 disaster, generating 529,472 engagements. The Thai Meteorological Department stated that an earthquake on the scale of magnitude 9.3 would require an estimated 400 to 600 years to recur and could not happen at present.

Health-related fake news with the highest engagement, at 156,828 interactions, falsely claimed HIV could be cured within two months using two bottles of CDS. The Food and Drug Administration under the Ministry of Public Health confirmed CDS is not a medicine, has never been approved for treatment, and could be life-threatening if consumed.

In the economic category, a fake advertisement claiming the Government Savings Bank was offering loans via a Facebook page named “LEASE it PCL 859” received 77,123 engagements. The bank confirmed it had no connection to the page and warned of risks including loss of personal data and assets.

The most prominent online crime fake news involved a TikTok account claiming the Anti-Money Laundering Office was registering victims for compensation, attracting 97,688 engagements. AMLO confirmed the account police_cyber1710 was created by scammers impersonating officials.

Thaitabloid reported that Mr Wetang said AFNC prioritises rapid clarification, public awareness and warnings about online fraud to reduce losses from cybercrime. He encouraged the public to report suspicious information via the 1111 hotline extension 87, or through AFNC’s official website and social media channels.

Key Takeaways

• AFNC identified the most engaged fake news stories across five categories in 2025.

• Disaster and policy-related misinformation generated the highest public interaction.

• Authorities urged vigilance and reporting to reduce harm from online deception.

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Thaitabloid 2026-01-04