Online job scams emerge as Thailand’s costliest fraud of the week

Thailand’s Anti Cyber Scam Centre (ACSC) has revealed its weekly online crime statistics for March 29 to April 4, 2026, showing a notable rise in the number of cases but a sharp drop in overall losses. The centre said this reflected faster and more effective fund freezes, but warned that online job scams had surged to become the single biggest cause of financial damage this week for the first time.

During the week, 7,366 cases were reported, up 176 cases, while total losses came to 407,981,333 baht, down 94,167,600 baht from the previous week. ACSC also said the main victim group remained women aged 21 to 30.

The centre also warned of two scam patterns now being used more aggressively. In the first, fraudsters lure victims with claims of cheap or free goods, then pull them into a Line group and assign fake “tasks” linked to receiving the product, before repeatedly demanding advance payments and eventually disappearing. In the second, scammers offer high-paying online work, starting with simple tasks such as liking and sharing content and even making small initial payments to build trust, before persuading victims to invest larger sums and then demanding more transfers until the money can no longer be withdrawn.

Over the past week, ACSC coordinated with banks and local police to arrest 16 suspects — 14 Thais and two foreign nationals. Officers seized more than 1.7 million baht in cash, helped more than 47 victims in time, and prevented more than 6.2 million baht from being transferred out.

Among the notable cases, police arrested an overstaying Chinese suspect accused of tricking a 79-year-old woman out of 2 million baht by claiming her bank account was linked to illegal activity. He was caught while allegedly preparing to deceive her for a third time. In Chiang Mai, officers also dismantled a cash-withdrawal mule gang, arresting the alleged ringleader, who reportedly confessed to receiving instructions via Telegram. Police also intervened in several provinces, including Kanchanaburi and Lop Buri, to stop panicked victims from transferring additional money in investment and online work scams.

ACSC advised the public to buy goods only through platforms that use an escrow-style payment system, such as TikTok Shop, Lazada and Shopee, where money is released to the seller only after the buyer has received the goods. It also warned people never to trust invitations to join Line groups for so-called side-task assignments, saying that such behaviour is a clear sign of a scam and that people should end contact immediately.