BANGKOK — Police General Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, Inspector General of the Royal Thai Police and head of the International Anti-Scam and Human Trafficking Syndicate Command Center (IAC), made the announcement following a ceremony to return over 1.7 million baht to scam victims.
Speaking about the establishment of the anti-scammer War Room that collaborates with international partners, Police General Thatchai revealed that Cambodia has not been invited to participate due to lack of cooperation.
“Cambodia hasn’t sent the data as previously coordinated with Thailand, and we’re also worried about potential leaks of the working group’s investigation information,” he said.
The War Room operates under the “MONEY CASH BACK” initiative, which focuses on freezing scammers’ assets and returning money to victims. India and Japan are the first two countries to begin working with the center through online systems, with other nations including China, the United States, and Myanmar expected to join.
Myanmar’s participation is particularly significant as most scammers operate under the control of ethnic minority groups along border areas, making this a priority issue for the Myanmar government to address.
Regarding Cambodia, Thai authorities have not extended an invitation due to the country’s lack of cooperation. “Cambodia has not provided data as previously coordinated with Thailand, and there are concerns about potential leaks of investigation information from the working group,” Police General Thatchai explained.
Since its establishment on August 4, the center has begun full-scale operations, bringing together officers from all relevant Thai agencies under one roof. Cases involving damages exceeding 100,000 baht are immediately transferred to the center, enabling rapid coordination with banks to track financial trails and freeze assets.
When police identify final destinations, they coordinate with local officers for arrests. The system has already resulted in multiple arrests of suspects while withdrawing money from banks, with evidence gathered leading to expanded investigations.
“Combating scammer networks is challenging, but the center makes tracking and arresting criminal organizations much easier due to systematic and faster operations,” Police General Thatchai noted. “Beyond swift arrests, the center prioritizes rapid money recovery for victims.”
The Cyber Police Command’s Money Cash Back project returns funds to victims immediately upon discovering financial trails linked to victims. The system expects higher recovery rates as investigation processes become more streamlined.
Current statistics show money recovery rates have increased from less than 10% to 27%. Over 200 cases have successfully tracked financial trails to their endpoints and frozen assets, including digital currencies. In some instances, police have frozen funds even before victims realized they were being scammed, based on suspicious financial transaction patterns detected by the system.
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