BANGKOK, March 9, 2026 – Online scam complaints in Thailand rose again in the first week of March, with investment fraud causing the heaviest financial damage, according to police data that point to persistent weaknesses in deterrence even as authorities report large-scale transaction interceptions.
Assistant national police chief Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej said police received 7,682 online-scam complaints between March 1 and 7, up 4% from 7,344 cases the previous week. Total reported losses fell 5.6% week on week to 433.86 million baht, but investment fraud remained the most damaging category, accounting for 146.6 million baht, up from 114.3 million baht a week earlier.
By volume, fraudulent sales of products and services generated the highest number of complaints, at 5,244 cases. Job scams caused 114.8 million baht in losses, making them the second most damaging category, according to the police briefing.
The data suggest that while lower-value scam activity remains widespread, higher-loss investment schemes continue to impose the greatest financial burden on victims. Police said most victims over the week were women, with the largest age group between 31 and 40.
Authorities said they intercepted 2.89 billion baht in transactions linked to scam accounts during the period and arrested suspects in eight cases. Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop cited one case involving a 46-year-old man who was persuaded to transfer a total of 13.84 million baht in an investment scam.
The weekly figures were released as about 30 complainants filed investment-fraud complaints at the Central Investigation Bureau on Monday. Activist Tankhun Jitt-itsara, who led the group, alleged that a businessman married to an actress had solicited investments in two cryptocurrencies with a promised 500% return by March 1. He said investors were later unable to withdraw either the promised returns or their principal, with combined losses amounting to 1.37 billion baht.
Tankhun said an arrest warrant for public fraud had been issued for the suspect last year, but that he had fled to the United Arab Emirates. The allegation could not be independently verified from the information provided in the report.
Police urged the public to verify investment solicitations through the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Check First application, which lists licensed investment firms, executives and advisers.
The latest figures indicate that Thailand’s scam problem remains structurally resilient: complaint volumes continue to rise, large-value investment fraud persists, and headline enforcement actions have yet to produce a visible reduction in underlying criminal activity.
