Thailand caps minors' digital transfers over mule accounts

The Bank of Thailand (BoT) will impose daily limits on digital transfers and payments by children and teenagers after finding a steep rise in young people's accounts being used by fraudsters as mule accounts.

The central bank said accounts owned by under-18s and linked to criminal activity rose from 3,371 in January 2025 to 5,741 in March this year, a 70.3% increase. Those accounts were connected to cases involving combined losses of 185 million baht.

Chayawadee Chai-anant, the BoT assistant governor for corporate relations, said intelligence gathered with law enforcement agencies showed criminal networks were increasingly exploiting deposit and e-money accounts held by young people.

New daily limits for young account holders

The standard limits will vary by age and account type:

Children aged 10-12: e-money transfers or payments limited to 3,000 baht a day.

Young people aged 12-15: digital transactions from bank deposit accounts limited to 5,000 baht a day.

Young people aged 15-18: digital transactions from bank deposit accounts limited to 10,000 baht a day.

Commercial banks must introduce the new limits by September. E-money providers have until October, Ms Chayawadee said.

The BoT has worked with the Thai Bankers' Association and e-money service providers on standardised limits based on customer profiles. The aim is to match ordinary spending patterns while making it harder for criminal groups to use youth accounts to move money.

Higher limits can be requested

Banks and e-money operators must tell customers before changing an account's limit. They must also offer accessible ways to request a higher limit, including through mobile apps, call centres and branches.

For foreign residents with children holding Thai bank or e-money accounts, the change may affect everyday payments, online purchases and transfers. Families expecting to make larger legitimate payments should check their provider's process for increasing the daily ceiling once the measures take effect.

The central bank said many young people had become involved unknowingly, either by opening accounts for others or allowing someone else to use their account. Both actions are criminal offences under the Emergency Decree on Measures for the Prevention and Suppression of Technology Crimes.

Parents urged to warn children

The BoT hopes the measures will reduce the risk of children and teenagers being scammed or persuaded to hand control of their accounts to criminals.

It has urged parents to explain that opening an account for another person, or letting another person use an existing account, is illegal. Ms Chayawadee said the central bank would keep monitoring the issue and adjust its approach as criminal groups change tactics.

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2 August 2026

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