More than 120,000 shops across Thailand have registered to join the government’s ‘Khon La Khrueng Plus’ co-payment scheme ahead of public registration next week, officials said on Sunday.
Deputy government spokeswoman Airin Phanrit said 123,960 retailers had signed up between Oct 15-17, including 72,000 previously registered stores and 51,000 new ones. Another 98,000 are in the process of completing registration.
The scheme allows small shops to share payment costs with the government, aiming to boost local spending. Consumer registration runs from Oct 20-26 via the Paotang mobile app, with spending permitted from Oct 29 to Dec 31.
Ms Airin warned people to beware of scam messages and fake registration links sent by fraudsters posing as government representatives.
‘The government never sends registration links via SMS or social media,’ she said, adding that citizens should only use official applications – Paotang for consumers and Thung Ngern for merchants.
Cyber police urged the public not to share personal information such as ID numbers, bank details, PINs or OTP codes, and to verify official pages. Government agencies and banks will never request such data or ask for money transfers, officials stressed.
Wittayakorn Maneenet, director-general of the Department of Internal Trade (DIT), said on Sunday more than 80,000 ‘Blue Flag’ government-affiliated shops – about 60% of the total network – had already applied to participate. The number is expected to exceed 100,000 before the scheme starts.
‘The department will inspect participating shops next week to ensure readiness. Detailed figures by province are expected on Oct 20, once Krungthai Bank completes data compilation,’ Mr Wittayakorn said.