DSI releases song warning people about call centre scams, but faces criticism
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) released a song called “Yar own” (Do not transfer) to warn people against getting scammed by call centre gangs.
The DSI held a press conference at Government House on Tuesday attended by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin as well as artists of the song.
The catchy track, with easy-to-remember lyrics, aims to teach people how to protect themselves against call centre scams.
Prayut praised the Justice Ministry, government agencies, the private sector and the artists for the song.
It gained around 127,000 views on the DSI_PR YouTube channel as of Wednesday afternoon. But the hashtag #อย่าโอน (the name of the song) became a trending topic after netizens criticised the money used to produce the song, saying they would instead have liked a more direct solution to the problem.
Call centre scams have seen several victims tricked into transferring money to gangs. Some of the victims have also been threatened into parting with their money, and the DSI has received a lot of complaints.
The department has announced basic guidelines to protect against such scams:
- Call DSI hotline 1202 to consult, report or complain
- If a criminal calls you, ask for more information but do not proceed with any transaction
- Use the information in a report/complaint to police in your area as evidence for legal action. You can also call hotline 1202 or visit https://www.dsi.go.th/ to ask the DSI to investigate
- If you have already transferred money to a criminal, immediately report to a police station in your area and quickly contact the bank from which you sent the money as well as the bank you transferred the amount to.
