Thailand to enforce new law to tackle call-centre scams

The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry plans to issue an emergency decree to combat call centre scams and ensure financial institutions and mobile operators compensate victims. 

DES Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong said on Tuesday that the emergency decree is expected to take effect within this month, so financial institutions and mobile operators could put in place measures to deal with call-centre gangs. 

“The decree will be implemented in January, bypassing parliamentary approval to be published in the Royal Gazette,” he said, adding that this was an urgent matter that would benefit people. 

DES Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong

The decree will also align with the Bank of Thailand’s regulations and crime prevention laws. Prasert said financial institutions should be held responsible because of the ease of opening mule bank accounts without adequate scrutiny. He said banks should be doubly certain when accounts are opened by juristic persons, as those can be used for criminal activities. 

Prasert revealed that approximately 100 juristic accounts require investigation by the Anti-Money Laundering Office to determine if their holders are blacklisted, so their operations can be disrupted. 

He also urged mobile operators to take responsibility for SMS messages containing malicious URLs that defraud users. Compensation to victims would serve as a preventive measure, requiring active collaboration from the private sector.