The deputy government spokesperson revealed that the Middle East conflict has caused gold prices to fluctuate. He warned about gold investments during the war crisis, highlighting three online scams and stressing the importance of verifying before transferring money to prevent losses.
On 29 March 2026, Ms. Lalida Pertwivatana, Deputy Spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office, stated that due to the Middle East conflict causing fluctuations in gold prices and increased public interest in investing, the Anti-Online Crime Center (AOC) hotline 1441, under the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society's supervision, issued a warning. They found scammers exploiting this situation by using strategies that trigger “fear of missing out” and “greed” to lure people into investing.
The deputy spokesperson explained there are three main types of scams currently detected: (1) fake gold trading applications that show false profits and prevent withdrawals, (2) fake pages selling gold at unusually low prices, tricking people into transferring money by claiming special promotions, and (3) invitations to join “gold price manipulation missions” that pay initial returns to build trust before asking for more money and then cutting off contact.
There have been cases where victims were deceived into investing through online channels, losing nearly 2 million baht in total. This reflects the severity of the current problem. The government therefore urges citizens to exercise increased caution when investing, especially during highly volatile market periods.
The government recommends four key prevention measures: verify the service provider’s license before investing; avoid offers with unusually high returns or suspiciously low prices; thoroughly check the credibility of pages or platforms; and never transfer money to personal bank accounts under any circumstances.
“During this period of global volatility, citizens should invest cautiously and verify all information before transferring money to avoid falling victim to scammers and to help build financial resilience in Thai society,” Ms. Lalida said.
If citizens fall victim, they can report incidents via the AOC hotline 1441, available 24 hours, to promptly suspend accounts. For further information, they can contact the Securities and Exchange Commission hotline 1207, press 22.