- Illustrative photo: The Nation/ANN
BANGKOK: A Global Anti-Scam Alliance (Gasa) report has revealed that 60 per cent of Thais were scammed in the past year, with total losses of 110 billion baht (US$3.39 billion), damaging confidence and threatening Thailand’s tourism economy.
The report revealed alarming new data showing that six in ten Thais have fallen victim to scams, with total financial losses soaring to 110 billion baht in just one year — the highest ever recorded.
Modern scam operations now go far beyond old-fashioned phone frauds. Experts classify them into two main types, each relying on psychological manipulation in opposite ways.
The first type is call-centre scams, which use fear as a weapon. Criminals pose as officials from agencies such as the police, the Department of Special Investigation or the Anti-Money Laundering Office, creating panic and pressuring victims into transferring money or installing malicious apps.
The second is digital scams, which weaponise hope and greed of victims. Fraudsters operate across digital platforms, from social media to dating apps, tricking victims through emotional bonds (romance scams) or fake investments (investment scams) that promise high returns.
The three most damaging scam types are:
Romance scams – Scammers create credible, appealing profiles, gain trust, and then fabricate stories to solicit money or investments.
Investment scams – Referred to as “pig butchering” by The New York Times, these long-term frauds lure victims into fake investment platforms. Scammers allow small withdrawals at first, before vanishing with the victims’ full investment. Many of these networks are linked to organised crime rings operating from neighbouring countries.
Job scams – Victims are offered easy, high-paying online jobs. After making small profits early on, they are pressured to invest more, only to find they cannot withdraw funds later.
Scams becoming ‘economic cancer’
The rise in scamming is reflected in police reports, and is now being described as a “cancer” eating away at public trust and Thailand’s overall economy, particularly its tourism sector, one of the country’s main economic engines.
Global reports on human trafficking and online fraud have sparked fear among international travellers and begun to undermine Thailand’s image as a safe travel destination.
According to Gasa, Thais lost an average of 12,956 baht per person to scams in 2024, totalling 110 billion baht in losses nationwide.
This erosion of trust is already impacting tourism.
Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool warned that in 2025, the number of foreign tourists could drop by 6 per cent to 33.4 million, with tourism revenue falling by 5 per cent to 1.51 trillion baht, mainly due to global concern over scams and human trafficking reports.
The most dramatic decline is seen among Chinese tourists, whose arrivals have plummeted by 35 per cent, despite once being Thailand’s largest market and tourism driver.
This underscores the severe loss of confidence among international travellers.
These figures show that Thailand’s scam epidemic is not only a domestic crime problem but also a national reputation crisis, undermining its status as a safe and welcoming destination while dragging the economy into deeper uncertainty. - The Nation/ANN
