Digital ministry freezes 1.18 million mule accounts, says scam losses down to THB1.7bn

Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob said Thailand’s ongoing crackdown on online crime is producing tangible results, with faster freezes of suspected mule accounts and wider disruption of scam and illegal gambling channels.

Chaichanok said that from November 1, 2023 to January 30, 2026, authorities froze 1,183,326 bank accounts linked to abnormal transactions. He said procedures and timelines for account freezes have been streamlined to prevent funds being rapidly transferred to other mule accounts.

He added that the ministry has also accelerated the blocking of online channels used for fraud and illegal gambling. Over the first four months of FY2026 (October 1, 2025 to February 1, 2026), authorities blocked 304,631 URLs across websites and social media, including 259,385 URLs linked to online gambling.

SIM and telecom measures

Chaichanok said the ministry has coordinated with the NBTC and telecom operators to tackle “ghost SIMs” and tighten control of signal infrastructure along border areas. Recent measures include:

• Limiting SIM ownership to no more than five numbers per person
• Requiring KYC identity verification before SIM activation
• Suspending SIM registration via service kiosks that lack KYC systems
• Cancelling all online registration for SIM cards and e-SIMs
• Tightening controls on SIM boxes in Thailand, and coordinating with the Customs Department on related imports

He said the NBTC has also suspended phone numbers with abnormal usage patterns that may indicate “ghost SIMs” used by scammers. In December 2025, authorities found 23,057 such numbers, linked to around 2.4 million outgoing calls.

Other cross-agency steps

Chaichanok said the Cabinet has approved a policy for state agencies to stop sending emails or SMS messages containing links to the public. The Bank of Thailand and financial institutions have also introduced measures requiring location settings for users when making transactions via mobile banking.

The Department of Business Development (DBD) has tightened company registration rules to curb “corporate mule accounts”, requiring directors and shareholders to appear in person before registrars, submit three months of bank statements, and provide proof of office premises.

He said additional legal amendments are being pursued to increase penalties for those involved and to require financial institutions and mobile networks to share responsibility if negligence enables scam activity. The government is also accelerating rules for victim compensation, with the AMLO leading work on faster procedures for returning funds.

Reported losses falling

Chaichanok said the coordinated measures—by the digital ministry, police, NBTC, AMLO, financial institutions and other agencies—have helped reduce losses.

Police online-crime statistics show that in December 2025 there were 31,198 cases (about 1,006 a day) with total reported losses of THB1.792 billion (about THB58 million a day). This compares with December 2024, when 33,624 cases (about 1,085 a day) were reported with losses of THB2.209 billion (about THB71 million a day), he said.