Govt eyes tougher online scam laws

The government is considering toughening laws to suppress online scams while continuing to improve protection for consumers purchasing goods on the net, said Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong yesterday.
Mr Prasert was responding to a motion submitted by Senator Wutthiphong Phongsuwan regarding concern about the rising number of online scam cases, which he saw as a severe threat to the country’s economic security. The senator urged more effective government measures to curb online scams.
“I admit there have been more than 500,000 cases [of online scamming] while only about 60,000 are now in the hands of the Royal Thai Police,” he said.
He said several laws must be amended after being used for five years. He gave the example of raising the punishment for online fraud and other offences associated with the legal operation of so-called call centre gangs.
Mr Prasert said the government has already discussed legal amendments with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo), which could potentially lead to a faster seizure of assets linked to such an online crime syndicate. “Asset freezing is seen as an effective means to keep online scamming gangs at bay,” he said.
In another area of efforts to contain online scams, Mr Prasert said, his ministry, together with a number of other agencies, has stepped up crackdowns on illegal attempts to connect to the internet and mobile phone networks operated in Thailand through cables laid across the border from a neighbouring country.
Four internet service providers were fined 677,500 baht as of August for failing to strictly comply with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission’s (NBTC) legal measures for fighting online crime, he said. But following this tougher suppression, some gangs have turned to new internet and telecommunication technology, including low Earth orbit satellite technology, which the NBTC is trying to deal with, said Mr Prasert.
As for improved protection for online buyers, from Oct 3 onwards, he said consumers will be able to check the goods they have ordered online in the cash-on-delivery option before paying under a new consumer protection measure.
He said a meeting of the government’s technology crime suppression committee held last Friday also addressed the need to strengthen laws regarding these matters.
Mr Prasert also announced last week that the Anti Online Scam Operation Center improved its operations from November 2023 to August 2024. In August alone, damage caused by online crime was reduced to 75 million baht per day, a 36% decrease from 116 million baht per day between January and June.