Dec 3, 2023
Thai Elderly Citizens Targeted by Scammers in Bank Agent Impersonation Scheme
Elderly Thai citizens have fallen victim to scammers posing as bank agents, losing millions of baht in savings. The fraudsters use various tactics, including impersonating government aid agents and fake police officers, to deceive the victims. The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau has reported a substantial increase in cybercrime cases, with total losses of approximately 49 billion baht. The Global Anti-Scam Alliance and Gogolook found that 60% of residents in the region face at least one scam attempt per week, mainly through phone calls, SMS, and messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Line. The scammers exploit the victims' lack of knowledge to identify scams, and once the money is exchanged into cryptocurrency, it becomes difficult to trace.