A Criminal Court judge warned that accepting to open 'horse accounts' carries multiple severe penalties, including charges of aiding and abetting and money laundering. He revealed that the court orders the closure of hundreds of thousands of fraudulent website URLs each month.
At 14:10 on 9 June 2026, Mr. Rattawit Ariyaphatphon, Chief Judge of the Technology Crime Division at the Criminal Court, stated that cases related to online crime have been increasing and show no signs of decreasing. Particularly, those who open 'horse accounts' for fraudsters should be warned that opening accounts for others to use is an offense under the Computer Crime Act, punishable by imprisonment and fines. Additional charges may apply, such as aiding and abetting fraud or money laundering. He urged awareness of the penalties and consequences, as those involved not only become criminal defendants but also cause harm to victims.
Mr. Rattawit also acknowledged that the court serves as the final authority in handling offenders: after a crime is committed and investigated, prosecutors bring the case to court. He emphasized that before cases reach the court stage, victims suffer widespread impacts while offenders face prosecution that affects their careers. Since the establishment of the Technology Crime Division in April 2024, cases have risen continuously despite court orders shutting down hundreds of thousands of URLs monthly.
Data shows that in 2024, 1,345 cases led to the closure of 119,325 URLs, while in 2025, the court ordered the closure of 630,672 URLs. Up to May 2026, 537,973 URLs have been shut down. This indicates an increase in technology-related criminal cases, some involving damages worth billions of baht. “I want to warn those who open 'horse accounts' that you are considered part of the crime's success, because without this financial channel, offenders cannot deceive victims out of their money.” Mr. Rattawit stated further,
In addition to the Technology Crime Division, the Criminal Court also handles cases related to sexual harassment under new laws enacted at the end of 2025. These laws expand protections for victims’ rights and safe spaces on social media. For example, if victims have inappropriate images shared or suffer physical, verbal, audio, gestural, communicative, surveillance, or stalking harassment on social media, they can file petitions directly to courts nationwide to request suspension orders without needing to appear in court, file police reports, or hire lawyers.
Mr. Rattawit added that victims can submit petitions online via the “CIOS” system to minimize their burden. Upon receiving a petition, the court will schedule a hearing. If the content is deemed inappropriate, the court will issue orders to offenders, platform providers, and officials under the Computer Crime Act to suspend the distribution of obscene images or offensive content. This process is swift; a petition filed today could lead to a hearing and suspension order within one to two days.