BANGKOK, Thailand – The Royal Thai Police’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau launched the “Senior’s Community Cyber Police Club,” aiming to educate citizens about scams and ultimately reduce victimization.
The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau has reported over 800,000 online crime complaints between March 2022 and December 2024, causing daily losses of 77 million baht on average.
Seniors are particularly vulnerable, with nearly 14,000 cases reported in 2024 alone, resulting in losses of 4.4 billion baht (approximately 125 million USD). They take their last savings after retirement to invest, before being deceived until they are completely broke, making it very difficult to continue living. Some even contemplate suicide.
To combat this, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau has launched the “Senior’s Community Cyber Police Club.” Every Sunday, seniors can join a Zoom meeting to learn about common scams and how to protect themselves. The initiative has already seen a decrease in senior victims and a steady increase in club members.
Popular scams still used by fraudsters include deceptive product sales, fake online jobs promising extra income and extortion calls impersonating government officials.
In addition to the club, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau also runs a weekly “Cyber Talk” program on Facebook and provides daily scam alerts. They plan to expand their efforts to target younger victims as well, who are often targeted in sextortion schemes. The ultimate goal is to reduce the number of online scam victims in Thailand. (TNA)
