Executive Summary

Comparison between

Aug-Sep 2023 and May-Jun 2023

The total conversation about safety and security in Thailand remained steady in August–September 2023 compared to May–June. In absolute numbers, the posts in May–June amounted to 51.1K mentions versus 51.5K in August–September. In August–September, a political party published a tweet touching on call centre scams and mule accounts, generating significant engagement (5K+ retweets). In comparison, stories about scammers impersonating celebrities were a dominant topic in May–June. Payment Methods conversation increased 23% in August–September (2.8K versus 2.3K posts). However, digital wallet conversation increased nearly eight times due to news of the government’s ‘10,000 Baht in Digital Money for All Thais’ policy. This policy sparked a debate about digital wallet safety, and consumers cautioned about scammers asking people to register on fraudulent apps. Nevertheless, within the Payment Methods conversation, people continued to discuss credit cards the most – generally highlighting fraud they had experienced in situations such as booking foreign accommodation. Fraud Type conversation volumes decreased 12% compared to May–June (3,364 versus 3,831 posts), but lost/stolen card conversations nearly doubled. A victim of credit card theft sought advice from other social media users on Twitter and was retweeted nearly 50 times, helping to drive the increase. The “call centre gang” scam remained a dominant topic in August–September, with 894 mentions. That represented a 63% increase from May–June, which was primarily due to retweets for a viral tweet about someone’s mother getting scammed in Australia.

1. Conversations on Safety and Security

In the face of evidence of widespread online scams in Thailand, people aired their frustrations. A political party's Twitter post, touching on call centre scams and mule accounts, generated significant engagement (5K+ retweets). Consumers voiced frustration and a sense of helplessness, along with personal experiences and concerns about official responses to scams. Discussions also included cautionary tales of money deception and the prevalence of the call centre scam.

2. Safety and Security of different payment methods

During August–September 2023, discussions about Payment Methods totalled 2.8K mentions. Credit card conversations dominated (59% of the discussion). Credit card users shared experiences of hacking and unauthorised transactions. Digital wallet discussions surged, accounting for 16% of the conversation as people spoke about the government's '10,000 Baht in Digital Money for all Thais' policy. Posts with the hashtag #digital cautioned about scammers asking people to register on fraudulent apps to claim their 10,000-baht digital wallet offer.

3. Types of fraud techniques

Identity theft/phishing remained the most discussed topic in the Fraud Types conversations (65%) – people spoke about versatile scam methods, such as impersonations of business owners. The call centre scam continued to be a significant topic.  Users also shared experiences related to lost/stolen credit cards, often expressing frustration with perceived inadequate support from banks. People responded to a political party's tweet, which advocated for anti-scam measures, with suggestions for solutions such as AI-based phone number notifications. Additionally, people emphasised the importance of being cautious about scams such as ticket fraud, where scammers ask music fans to transfer payment for a concert ticket, but they never send tickets in return.

4. Fraud Prevention

Within the Fraud Prevention conversations, posts about data privacy remained similar to May-June and included warnings about fake websites posing as official scam reporting platforms. In fraud response and resolution conversations, some customers expressed scepticism about the efficacy of banks' fraud victim support procedures, citing instances of delayed or unavailable assistance.