NovThailand News
Thailand recorded 6,060 online-fraud complaints and THB260 million in reported losses in one week
Everyday shopping scams were frequent, but investment fraud cost more
Police classified 4,682 of the week’s complaints as fraud involving goods and services, equal to 77.3% of the total. Financial and investment scams accounted for nearly THB80 million in reported losses, around 30.7% of the week’s monetary damage.
That split matters for people living in Thailand. The most common scam may begin with an ordinary purchase, booking or service, while the largest losses can come from a much bigger transfer presented as an investment opportunity.
Compared with 2–8 August, complaints fell by 364 and reported losses declined by more than THB3 million. This is a one-week comparison, not evidence of a lasting national trend. Weekly police data can move sharply and should be read as a snapshot of reported activity during a defined period.
Bangkok recorded the largest losses in the police breakdown
ACSC said Bangkok ranked first in the provincial breakdown published for the week, with 138 complaints and approximately THB63.3 million in reported losses.
That figure does not show that online payments in Bangkok are inherently less safe. The capital also has a much larger population and transaction base, and the police statistics cover complaints entering the reporting system during a single week. For an individual user, the type of transaction and the verification of the recipient are more useful risk signals.
The same police analysis found women more frequently represented among reported victims than men, while people aged 21–30 were the largest age group in the dataset. Those figures describe the complaints analysed by police; they should not be treated as a universal risk profile for every expat, retiree or business owner.
Large transfers deserve a different level of verification
For investment offers, ACSC advises users to verify companies and products through official Securities and Exchange Commission tools such as SEC Check First. Police also warn against sending investment money to an individual’s bank account when the transaction is supposed to be with a licensed company.
Everyday purchase scams tend to use simpler pressure points: a fake page, an unusually attractive price, a request for an urgent deposit or an attempt to move the conversation away from the original platform. A bank account, social-media profile or downloadable app is not proof that the seller or investment provider is legitimate.
If money has already been sent to a scammer, contacting the bank and the official police reporting channels quickly can matter. The August figures, however, are complaint and loss statistics; they do not imply that every reported amount will be recovered.
Sources
- Royal Thai Police, Anti Cyber Scam Center (ACSC) — 17 August 2026.
- The Nation — 18 August 2026.
- Royal Thai Police, Anti Cyber Scam Center (ACSC) — 10 August 2026.