BANGKOK, Thailand – The Cabinet has reviewed a 30-day progress report on efforts to address online crime, scams, and transnational offenses, following directives from Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society reported significant achievements, including freezing over one million mule accounts and blocking over 138,000 illegal websites. These measures have been implemented to alleviate public concerns over online threats and enhance coordination across agencies.
Key outcomes of the government’s crackdown include strengthened legislation to protect victims and prevent technological crimes. A draft amendment to the Royal Decree on Preventing and Suppressing Technological Crimes focuses on prompt victim reimbursement, increased accountability for telecom and financial institutions, and stricter penalties for illegal activities such as data trading and unauthorized digital asset transactions. Enhanced regulations have also led to the suspension of over 80,000 suspicious phone numbers and the deactivation of more than 2.8 million mule SIM cards.
Law enforcement efforts have led to the arrest of nearly 2,000 individuals in August 2024, with significant decreases in cases related to online gambling, mule accounts, and fraudulent SIM cards. High-profile operations dismantled major criminal networks, including an online gambling site with a monthly cash flow of 11 million baht and fraudulent foreign stock trading firms, causing damages of 70 million baht. Infrastructure improvements along border areas and stricter regulations on cash-on-delivery transactions have further supported these efforts.
The Cabinet has directed agencies to sustain momentum and enhance data-sharing platforms such as the AOC 1441 system to address these evolving threats. (NNT)
