The Anti-Online Scam Center (ACSC) reported that in the past seven days, Thais were defrauded of over 400 million baht, revealing that working-age women are the top victims. The center has launched alerts about investment scams after a 46-year-old victim lost nearly 14 million baht to criminals.
On 9 March 2026, the Anti-Online Scam Center (ACSC), under the leadership of Police General Thana Chuwong, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police and Director of the Police Operations Center, and Police Lieutenant General Jiraphop Puridet, Assistant Commissioner and Deputy Director of the Center, released statistics on cases and damages over the past week. From 1-7 March 2026, 7,682 cases were reported via Thaipoliceonline, with total losses of 433,859,437 baht. Compared to 22-28 February 2026, cases increased by 312, but losses decreased by 25,868,806 baht. Analysis shows that while case numbers rose, total losses fell by 5.6%.
By case count, the top category remains fraudulent goods trading with 5,244 cases, clearly the most frequent, reflecting a common everyday threat where criminals target many people. Although individual case losses are low, the widespread nature poses broad risks. Second is job scams, followed by impersonation, consistent with the previous week.
In terms of total financial losses, the rankings shifted again this time.
Investment scams returned to first place, replacing phone threats. Losses from investment fraud rose from 114.3 million baht to 146.6 million baht.
Second place is job scams with losses over 114.8 million baht. Notably, third place is now fraudulent goods sales, which had not previously ranked in the top three by loss amount.
The Anti-Online Scam Center (ACSC) again warns the public, especially regarding investments, that risks can be minimized by carefully verifying information as follows.
1. Before investing, check details using the SEC Check First app from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), paying attention to the following results.
- The company name must clearly appear in the system.
- Status must be listed as “Authorized” or “Currently operating normally.”
- License number and type must be clearly specified.
- Office address and contact information must be verifiable.
- Names of investment advisors and executives must be correctly listed in the system.
2. Always verify accounts before transferring money.
- The account name receiving funds must exactly match the authorized company. If instructed to transfer to a personal account, it is 100% a scam. Frequent changes of corporate accounts for investment deposits or refund transfers also indicate a 100% scam.
- If anything suspicious is found, stop transferring immediately and verify with the claimed company via official channels.
3. Beware of fake applications.
- Scammers can create fake apps mimicking official names, logos, and designs, then distribute them in app stores. Therefore, downloading from App Store or Google Play is not always safe.
Most importantly, the public is urged to exercise caution with every investment decision. Fully verify information via the SEC Check First app before transferring money. Do not be misled by unusually high returns or pressured decisions, as just a few minutes of checking can prevent significant financial losses.
Analysis of technology crime data over the past week shows women remain more frequent victims than men, consistent with last week. The 31-40 age group is most targeted. The highest victim counts are in goods or service purchase scams (31-40 years), followed by job scams for extra income (41-50 years), and scams involving transfer for prize claims (31-40 years).
During the past week, ACSC coordinated with various sectors and local police to promptly investigate and assist victims. Nine cases were examined, helping 24 victims to halt transfers before funds reached scammers, totaling over 2,889,300 baht. Eight cases resulted in arrests.
Notable high-loss assistance cases include:
Case 1: ACSC war room staff coordinated with Wat Phraya Krai Police Station to assist a 46-year-old man defrauded by a scammer using the LINE account “Phim.” The scam involved investing through the platform http://www.cilistbon.com, promising high returns. The victim transferred money multiple times, losing a total of 13,837,000 baht. Authorities promptly investigated, explained the scam tactics involving fake systems, advised collecting evidence to file complaints with investigators, and initiated freezing of related financial channels to pursue offenders.
Case 2: ACSC war room coordinated with Lak Song Police Station to assist a 78-year-old woman after detecting suspicious overseas transfers. The victim was threatened by a call center gang and, out of fear, withdrew 2 million baht in cash to deposit at another bank counter. Police quickly intervened, explained the scam to the victim, stopped the transactions, and advised gathering evidence to press charges legally.
Another notable arrest involved Police Region 4 dismantling a loan shark gang hiring locals to withdraw money from "mule accounts". They were caught at a major shopping mall in Kalasin province with 300,000 baht in cash.
Police Region 4 conducted in-depth investigations after spotting abnormal frequent deposit and withdrawal transactions in Kalasin. This led to uncovering a group hiring locals to open mule accounts, then withdrawing cash from bank counters and ATMs brazenly. Police arrested four suspects while they drove around withdrawing cash at a shopping mall, seized 300,000 baht, charged them with serious offenses of conspiracy to conceal illegal activities, and are pursuing further arrests of organizers and accomplices.