Fraudsters continue to make use of online media to reach out to potential victims, with the most recent scam involving a fake Department of Employment Facebook page.
Pairoj Chotikasathien, Director-General of the Department of Employment (DOE), reported that the latest imitation page uses the DOE logo as its profile picture with the “Department of Employment” page name in Thai.
Information about worker recruitment programs are posted on the page, apparently for both Thai and foreign employers. Victims provide scammers with their names and phone numbers before eventually being duped into transferring money. The DOE has warned the public of this and said it will pursue legal proceedings against the perpetrators.
Director-General Pairoj reiterated that the Facebook page did not belong to the department and people should take precautions to avoid falling victim to the scheme. The DOE has no policy to request the personal information of job applicants through the Facebook, Line, or Twitter platforms.
Instances of such requests should be reported to the police or an office of the Department of Employment. Reports can also be filed with the central employment registrar by calling 02-254-6763.
According to the director-general, the DOE will pursue the case to the full extent of the law. The actions of the fraudsters may be prosecuted under the Computer Crime Act and entail a prison sentence of up to 5 years, a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both. The illicit use of the DOE logo may result in a maximum prison term of one year and a fine of up to 2,000 baht under a 1939 law on official symbols. (NNT)
