The government has issued a public warning about online scams targeting holiday shoppers during the festive season. Scammers are exploiting the increase in online shopping for Christmas and New Year gifts by promoting fake sales and fraudulent gift campaigns.
According to Prime Minister’s Office Deputy Spokesperson Sasikarn Wattanachan, common tactics include offering unrealistically low prices, creating urgency with claims of limited stock, using poorly written store communication, and requesting payments to personal or unrelated accounts. Fraudulent stores often lack credible reviews or display unusual characters in their names to appear legitimate.
November 2024 fraud statistics highlight the scale of the problem. Individual scams affected 15,086 victims, resulting in losses totaling 146.8 million baht. Organized scams impacted 82 victims, causing nearly 3 million baht in losses, while fraudulent prize schemes targeted 2,385 individuals, leading to losses of 221.7 million baht. Many victims were tricked into transferring money or sharing personal information to claim fake prizes or gifts.
To help consumers avoid these scams, the government is encouraging the public to stay informed and cautious. People are advised to visit the Online Scam Alert website and follow its Facebook page for updates on fraud prevention strategies. Those needing assistance or wishing to report scams can contact the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) Hotline at 1441 or the Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT) Center at 081-866-3000.
With the holiday shopping season in full swing, authorities are urging citizens to verify the authenticity of online stores, question deals that seem too good to be true, and remain alert to potential scams.
Source: NNT
