Scam calls surge in Thailand as expats and Thais face rising risks

Last year alone, Thailand recorded about 173 million scam calls and messages, making it the most targeted market in Asia and a growing concern for both locals and expatriates.

The scale of the problem continues to grow despite crackdowns. Of the total, around 39 million were scam phone calls and about 134 million were scam text messages, up from roughly 38 million calls and 130 million messages the year before. The rise shows that scam activity in Thailand has continued to expand even after repeated enforcement efforts.

Authorities saw a brief drop in activity earlier in the year during heightened activity along the Thai-Cambodian border. However, the slowdown lasted barely two months. Scam groups quickly adapted, shifted operations and returned with even more activity, underlining how flexible and resilient these networks have become.

What were once small fraud rings have now evolved into full-scale scam factories. These operations function like professional organisations, with clear roles, fixed working hours and mass outreach systems. Scammers increasingly rely on automated calling tools and large SMS campaigns to reach victims across the country.

Representatives from the Thai Royal Police, Whoscall and the NBTC attend the Whoscall annual report seminar.

Text message scams have also become harder to detect. Many now mix words with emojis and unusual characters to bypass filtering systems used by telecom operators. This allows scam messages to slip through undetected and reach phones more easily.

The impact is made worse by widespread data leaks. In many cases, leaked phone numbers are linked with real names, email addresses and even passwords. This has allowed scammers to move away from random approaches and focus on targeted attacks that feel personal and convincing.

Police warn that scammers now operate across phone calls, text messages and social media, using psychological tricks to exploit fear, urgency or trust. Losses linked to scams are estimated at about 70 million baht per day, according to authorities.

Thai police say thousands of mule accounts linked to scam operations have already been frozen through reporting tools such as the national cybercrime database. The public is encouraged to report suspicious activity through official police channels and online systems.

Mobile users can also take simple steps to reduce risk. Dialling *138#1 allows users to block all incoming calls from foreign numbers, while telecom operators are increasingly monitoring call volumes and locations to identify and ban suspicious activity.

Authorities also point to a darker link between scam operations and human trafficking, with some networks forcing victims to work in scam centres. Police continue to stress a simple rule for the public: Do not believe, do not rush and do not transfer money.

The findings and data were released in Bangkok as part of an annual report by the caller identification and scam-blocking service Whoscall.