Anti-Online Scam Centre launches in Thailand

The AOC, located at the head office of National Telecom in Bangkok, can be reached via hotline 1441 around the clock. — The Nation/ANN

BANGKOK: The Thai government’s Anti-Online Scam Operation Centre (AOC) was officially launched on Wednesday (Nov 1) in a bid to protect the public from rampant online scamming.

The AOC, located at the head office of National Telecom in Bangkok, can be reached via hotline 1441 around the clock.

The centre is a collaboration between the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES), the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, the Bank of Thailand, the Thai Bankers Association, the Department of Special Investigation, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission, and other relevant agencies.

The AOC 1441 hotline aims to provide the public with knowledge and advice regarding cybercrime, how to stay safe from online scamming, and damage control measures after being scammed.

AOC 1441 is a one-stop service that helps protect people’s bank accounts in time whenever a security breach is suspected, DES Minister Prasert Chantararuangthong said.

Previously, victims of scams had to reach out to multiple organisations, leading to lengthy delays of weeks or even months before their bank accounts could be frozen, he said.

He added that the centre is also able to freeze and track down proxy accounts that scammers have opened to lure their victims, as well as cancel the latest transactions to minimise the damage, thanks to the use of an artificial intelligence-enabled platform and analysis of big data.

According to reports by the High-Tech Crime Division at the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, there are currently 700 scam and fraud cases per day, with 40% involving e-commerce crime.

The Thai government said earlier that over the past year and a half, around 365,000 cases of online fraud had been reported, causing losses of 45 billion baht. — The Nation/ANN