BANGKOK — The government announced the results of its month-long crackdown on fraudsters, reporting a 20 percent drop in fraud cases and a 200 million baht drop in losses. The government pledged to continue its measures and estimates that more than ten thousand people are still active in the scam networks on the Myawaddy side.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Economy and Society (DES), Prasert Chanthararuangthong, and Pol. Gen. Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, Inspector General of the Royal Thai Police and Director of the Technology Crime Prevention Center, presented the results of operations against call center gangs at Government House on March 17.
Prasert said the government has started cutting electricity, fuel and internet connections from Mae Sot district in Tak province to the Myanmar side since Feb. 5, and has also been cracking down on fraudsters at the Cambodian border in Aranyaprathet district in Sa Kaeo province since Feb. 12.
Call Center Fraud Reduced by 67%
Statistics on reported cases of online crime across the country show that from January 1 to January 31, 2025, 31,159 cases were reported. From February 5 to today, the number of reported cases has dropped to 25,487, a decrease of about 20 percent, with the number of cases continuing to decline. At the beginning, an average of more than 1,000 cases per day were reported. In particular, call center fraud, the most common form used to target victims, fell by 67 percent.
The decline in crime statistics is the result of strict government measures and cooperation between the relevant authorities. According to AOC 1441, the amount of reported financial losses fell by around 200 million baht last month.
Comparing the financial losses between January-February 2024 and the same period in 2025, the losses have decreased by 30 percent, to be more precise:
Cases involving the fraudulent installation of remote control software on phones have decreased by 88.64 percent and financial losses have decreased by 94.24 percent.
In the cases of fraudulent credit offers, 17.51 percent fewer bank accounts were blocked and financial losses fell by 55.49 percent.
In cases of investment fraud violating emergency regulations, the number of blocked accounts decreased by 62.22 percent and financial losses decreased by 97.21 percent.
In addition, the public is increasingly aware of the risks of fraud thanks to the government’s information campaigns. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to sustained action against fraudsters.
Suspected 10,000 Scam Workers Still Work in Myawaddy
Pol. Gen.Thatchai explained that recent operations against call center gangs have mainly focused on groups along the borders with neighboring countries. In cooperation with Myanmar, the first raids involved 5,251 people, 3,533 of whom were sent back to their home countries after being checked to see if they were victims of human trafficking. The remaining 1,718 were mainly Chinese and Indian nationals.
Additionally, the Royal Thai Police took seven measures to control the entry of 3,652 foreigners into Mae Sot district in Tak province from January 20 to February 26, 2025. Almost all of these foreigners claimed to have entered voluntarily; however, after being interviewed by the authorities, only 5 percent chose to return home.
Pol. Gen. Thatchai confirmed that the investigation did not reveal any evidence of coercion, forced sedation or abduction from Mae Sot to Myawaddy. He suspected that most of those entering the country intended to work illegally in call center gangs, casinos or other illegal activities in Myawaddy, but could later become victims of human trafficking due to forced coercion.
“We believe there are still over 10,000 people working in call center gangs on the Myawaddy side. We are planning international meetings to share information and determine whether these gangs have really been eliminated,” said Pol. Gen. Thatchai.
Close Legal Loophole in Cross-Border Fraud
Regarding the crackdown on the Cambodian side, Pol. Gen. Thatchai said that on February 21, 2025, he was instructed by the government to travel to Cambodia to set up a Thai-Cambodian coordination center to repatriate Thai nationals working with fraudsters to Thailand for prosecution.
A total of 119 Thai nationals were repatriated from Poipet, Cambodia. 115 of them have already been charged with involvement in transnational organized crime, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, as well as fraud and criminal conspiracy.
“This is the first time we have closed the legal loophole that previously allowed victims of human trafficking to be sent back to Thailand without the threat of prosecution, only to return to criminal activity in Cambodia. We have successfully convinced the courts to issue arrest warrants for all 115 individuals. In the future, we will prosecute Thais who exploit legal loopholes to defraud Thais from Cambodia and confiscate assets,” said Pol. Gen. Thatchai explained.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the government will strengthen border controls, intensify crime prevention and use advanced technology for faster and more accurate operations. These measures are aimed at eradicating the problem comprehensively. She emphasized that ensuring public security is one of the government’s key performance indicators (KPIs).
She also thanked all officers for their efforts that have resulted in continuous arrests and reduction of harm.
_____________
