Four key agencies are preparing to sign an agreement to boost the government’s effort to combat online scams and money laundering, said Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
Speaking after a meeting with senior executives from the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) on Monday, Mr Anutin, who also serves as interior minister, said that Amlo, the Ministry of Interior, the Royal Thai Police (RTP) and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will work together under the agreement to ramp up the crackdown on cybercrime and financial fraud.
Mr Anutin said the meeting was called to identify what additional support the agency needs from the government, especially since combating cybercrime and scammers has been designated a national priority.
‘The government will give its full backing,’ he said.
Mr Anutin said that if Thailand fails to effectively crack down on criminals who are using the country as a base for their operations, international trust in Thailand will decline, causing serious damage to the country’s reputation.
‘Amlo must work at full capacity to ensure that ‘black and grey’ money doesn’t enter the country’s financial system,’ he said.
When asked about calls from the opposition for the government to take tougher action against scam networks, Mr Anutin said the issue is already being handled by the responsible agencies, including Amlo, police and the DSI.
Mr Anutin said that several agencies have been actively working to stamp out scams, noting that Amlo has already seized more than 20 billion baht in assets linked to online fraud and money laundering, with more cases under investigation.
‘Some details cannot be disclosed publicly as the investigations are still ongoing,” he said.
Asked about reports which claim an increasing number of scam syndicates are using Thailand as a base, Mr Anutin said authorities are aware of the issue and the government will take decisive actions to combat cross-border financial crime.
Amlo board chairman Chatchai Promlert said the agency has suspended more than 800,000 proxy bank accounts used by scammers. More than 160 criminal cases are being processed, and assets worth 29 billion baht have been seized over the past year.
However, Mr Chatchai said Amlo faces technology challenges in keeping up with increasingly sophisticated financial crimes and stressed the need to have in place advanced data tools such as AI to improve the agency’s ability to monitor transactions and detect suspicious activity.
In response, the premier said the proposal should be formally submitted for consideration as it is a pressing matter and concerns national security.
‘If Amlo has a proposal which needs funding from the central budget, the government will see to it,’ he said.
Mr Anutin told the meeting that if the government fails to act decisively against scam syndicates operating along its border, the administration will not only be seen as ineffective but will also face other consequences.
‘These include sanctions, restrictions and further international pressure,’ he added.