- Photo: The Nation/ANN
BANGKOK: The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) permanent secretary has clarified that the “temporary suspension of transactions” applies only to funds transferred from suspected accounts, not a full account freeze, with other transactions remaining unaffected.
Wisit Wisitsora-At, permanent secretary of DES, chaired a meeting on Sunday (Sept 14) to discuss measures for temporary bank account suspensions linked to suspected mule accounts.
The meeting was held in coordination with the Bank of Thailand (BOT), the Thai Bankers’ Association, the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), and the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB).
Wisit explained that the temporary suspension of accounts is a measure introduced under the Royal Decree on Measures to Prevent and Suppress Technology Crimes (No. 2) 2025, in line with Sections 6 and 7, to help track money trails from online scams and recover stolen funds for victims.
Banks are required to temporarily halt transactions in accounts suspected of being involved with mule accounts used by fraudsters.
He emphasised that suspensions apply only to amounts transferred out of suspicious accounts, not to the entire balance.
The bank accounts themselves remain active and able to conduct normal transactions.
By contrast, a full account freeze occurs only when police issue a formal seizure order under the Criminal Procedure Code.
The meeting also reviewed mechanisms for lifting temporary transaction suspensions.
Under the Royal Decree, the Technology Crime Prevention and Suppression Centre (TCSD) is authorised to unlock funds in the bank accounts of innocent citizens whose transactions were suspended.
This is carried out through the AOC Centre (Anti-Online Scam Operation Centre) 1441 hotline.
A fast-track process is being established through a joint coordination centre comprising the TCSD, Bank of Thailand, commercial banks and police officers. The checks focus on:
Transaction patterns – whether the account’s financial activity is consistent with normal usage.
Blacklist screening – whether the account holder appears on watchlists maintained by AMLO or the police.
The TCSD, via the AOC Centre, has already begun reviewing and unlocking accounts that were wrongly suspended, confirming them as belonging to ordinary citizens with no links to mule accounts.
Those affected may contact the AOC hotline (1441, press 2) to request removal of the suspension and reinstatement of their account rights.
A war room has also been set up to resolve complaints and assist citizens. Officials stressed that most cases involve only temporary suspension of amounts linked to mule accounts, designed to prevent fraud proceeds from being transferred further.
This differs from a full account freeze, which requires a formal court-issued order obtained by police under the Criminal Procedure Code.
For legitimate accounts subject to suspension, once the TCSD issues an unlock order, the bank will directly notify the account holder.
The AOC Centre’s role is limited to processing and verification, and it will not contact citizens directly, a safeguard to prevent impersonation by scammers.
Authorities said these measures, which have been in place for some time, are critical to blocking financial channels exploited by cybercriminals while minimising the impact on innocent account holders. - The Nation/ANN
