DES warns of rising online scams offering illegal driving licence services
The DES Ministry warns the public of rising online scams offering illegal driving licence services, after over 1,000 suspicious messages were flagged in late November.
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) has warned the public not to fall victim to online scammers falsely claiming they can obtain legal driving licences without mandatory training or examinations.
False driving licence offers surge on social media
DES Ministry spokeswoman Suchada Zhang Thaensap said social media platforms had seen a surge in deceptive advertisements offering “easy” driving licence services for both Thais and foreign expats over the past week.
One widely circulated scam targets foreign expats, falsely claiming they can legally obtain a Thai driving licence without completing required lessons or passing any tests. Suchada said this was the most prominent scam detected and investigated by the DES Ministry between 21 and 27 November.
Over 1 million messages monitored; 1,133 investigated
According to Suchada, the DES Ministry monitored more than 1 million online messages during the week through social listening tools. Of these, 1,133 messages required further scrutiny, including 20 alert messages submitted through the DES Ministry’s official Line account.
Following a preliminary review, the ministry coordinated with relevant government agencies to investigate 254 cases, with 90 cases verified and categorised into the top issues drawing public attention.
Top online scams detected (21–27 November)
- Services offering legal driving licences for foreigners
- Claims of Government Savings Bank offering loans of 10,000–100,000 baht via TikTok within one day
- Fraudsters posing as government agencies requesting “fees” to retrieve stolen money
- Scammers disguising themselves as licensed job placement agencies via Line accounts
- Claims that the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) accepts scam complaints through a Facebook page
- False claims that the Land Transport Department accepts all licence applications via a “Driving License” Facebook page
- Fake OR investment scheme in Café Amazon starting at 1,260 baht with daily returns of 441 baht
- Offers for legal driving licences sold via a TikTok account named “nordinfitri”
- A fake AMLO “News” Facebook page soliciting complaints about online scams
- Claims that OR allows investments in Café Amazon through a Line ID “amazon_14,” supposedly approved by the SEC
Driving licence scams and fake government services lead weekly alerts
Suchada said scams impersonating government services topped online deception cases during the week, particularly those related to driving licence issuance and services claiming to help victims retrieve lost funds.
She added that the DES Ministry had worked with the Land Transport Department to verify the claims and confirmed that all online services offering driving licences were fraudulent. Victims not only lose money but also risk exposing sensitive personal information to scammers, she warned.
