Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister, Chaichanok Chidchob, says the country’s expanded crackdown on online crime is showing measurable results, with scam losses falling and enforcement agencies acting more quickly to disrupt fraudulent networks. His remarks follow new data released this week and reinforced reporting by The Nation.
Chaichanok said that between November 1, 2023 and January 30, 2026, authorities froze 1,183,326 bank accounts linked to abnormal or suspicious transactions. Procedures for freezing accounts have been streamlined to prevent illicit funds from being rapidly transferred across networks of mule accounts.
He added that online channels used for fraud and illegal gambling continue to be dismantled at a faster pace. In the first four months of FY2026 alone, authorities blocked 304,631 URLs, including 259,385 associated with illegal gambling activity.
A series of telecom and SIM-card controls has also been introduced. Recent measures include limiting SIM ownership to five numbers per person, mandatory KYC checks before activation, suspending kiosk-based registrations that lack verification systems and cancelling all online registrations for SIMs and e-SIMs. The NBTC has additionally suspended numbers showing abnormal usage patterns. In December 2025, officials detected 23,057 such numbers linked to around 2.4 million outgoing calls.
Other cross-agency steps include Cabinet approval for state agencies to stop sending emails or SMS messages containing clickable links, along with new mobile-banking requirements that mandate location settings during transactions. The Department of Business Development has also tightened company-registration rules to curb the rise of corporate mule accounts.
Chaichanok said the combined efforts of the digital ministry, police, NBTC, AMLO and financial institutions have helped reduce losses. Police statistics show 31,198 online-crime cases were reported in December 2025, with losses of THB1.792bn. This compares with 33,624 cases and losses of THB2.209bn in December 2024.
New rules limit SIM ownership, require identity checks before activation and tighten controls on company registrations
